ors 


/] 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA, 


OIKT  OR 


Received  Jt(nJ~  ,  190  o 

Accession  No.   *Q  /  h  Q  O    •    Class  No._ 


010  -OGY 

LIBRARY 

6 


or  THB 

UNIVERSITY 


The  Pet  Fawn. 


NATURAL  HISTORY  SERIES— BOOK  FOURTH. 


NEIGHBOES  WITH 

CLAWS  AND  HOOFS, 


AND 

THEIR  KIN. 
FOR  BOYS  AND   GIRLS. 


BY  JAMES  JOHONNOT. 


NEW  YORK  •:•  CINCINNATI  •:•  CHICAGO: 
AMERICAN    BOOK    COMPANY 


The  crows  flapped  over  by  twos  and  threes, 
In  the  pool  drowsed  the  cattle  up  to  their  knees, 
The  little  hirds  sang  as  if  it  were 
The  one  day  of  summer  of  all  the  year, 
And  the  very  leaves  seemed  to  sing  on  the  trees." 


COPYRIGHT,  1885, 
BY  D.  APPLETON  AND  COMPANY. 


THE   METHOD 
AND   THE   REASON  FOR  IT. 


As  pupils  advance 
toward  maturity  they 
are  not  satisfied  with 
such  facts  and  obvi- 
ous relations  as  have 
been  the  delight  of  their  child- 
hood. Their  minds  crave  some- 
thing that  lies  beyond  the  world 
of  sense.  Reflective  energies  be- 
gin to  assert  themselves,  forming 
a  balance  for  the  perceptives. 
The  when,  the  where,  and  the 
how  no  longer  engross  the  atten- 
tion, and  the  why  comes  into 
prominence.  Observation  and 
experiment  have  brought  into 
life  mental  desires  which  extend 
beyond  individual  experience,  and  which  find  their  satis- 
faction only  in  the  accumulated  experiences  of  the  race. 

To  furnish  a  solid  basis  for  thought,  pupils  just  enter- 
ing this  reflective  age  still  need  the  facts  which  observa- 
tion gives.  To  satisfy  the  cravings  of  their  new-born  en- 


6         THE  METHOD  AND   THE  REASON  FOR  IT. 

ergies,  and  to  stimulate  their  powers  to  greater  activity, 
they  also  need  the  results  of  general  human  investigation 
as  recorded  in  science  and  literature.  Upon  such  food 
the  mind  feeds  and  grows. 

This  book  is  specially  prepared  for  minds  in  the  tran- 
sition state  here  indicated.  The  facts  given  are  stated  in 
such  a  way  as  to  lead  to  more  careful  observation,  while 
the  relations  presented  reach  up  toward  the  laws  and  prin- 
ciples which  govern  things.  The  subject-matter  embraces 
the  highest  orders  of  animal  life  and  organism  in  its  most 
complex  forms ;  its  investigation  equally  calling  into  exer- 
cise the  perceptive  and  reflective  powers. 

As  in  the  other  members  of  the  series,  the  method  of 
the  book  is  inductive.  Each  division  of  the  subject  be- 
gins with  the  representative  animal  that  is  nearest  home 
and  most  familiar.  The  cat  at  the  fireside  serves  as  an 
introduction  to  the  lion  and  tiger  and  other  cats  of  the 
wilds ;  the  kin  of  the  faithful  dog  is  traced  in  wolf  and 
jackal ;  and  rats  and  rabbits  represent  rodents  the  world 
over.  From  the  sty,  the  stable,  and  the  farm-yard,  the 
mind  travels  out  to  the  homes  of  the  rhinoceros,  the  ele- 
phant, and  the  buffalo,  in  desert,  plain,  and  jungle. 

The  steps  of  this  route  are  those  of  comparison.  The 
imagination  is  aroused  and  disciplined.  The  pictures  im- 
pressed upon  the  mind  are  almost  as  vivid  as  those  ob- 
tained from  direct  perception.  A  taste  is  developed  for 
scientific  research,  and  a  fair  preparation  is  made  for  suc- 
cessful scientific  study. 

A  few  fables  and  stories  of  the  folk-lore  kind  have 
been  selected  to  show  how  animals  have  been  regarded  in 
the  past,  and  how  their  traits  have  been  used  to  illustrate 
and  enforce  moral  lessons.  These  fables  are  of  such  uni- 
versal application  as  to  be  fresh  with  each  generation  of 
children  for  all  time. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  PAGfc 

I.  Cats  of  Forest  and  Prairie 11 

II.  Cats  of  Desert  and  Jungle 17 

III.  The  King  of  the  Tropical  Wilds 22 

IV.  The  Sultana  of  the  Desert 27 

V.  The  Guardians  of  the  Household. ...)..  34 

VI.  Trained  and  Faithful  Servants 40 

VII.  "  Our  Beloved  Brother  Prince  " 46 

VI I  f.  Savage  Dogs  of  Forest  and  Plain 50 

IX.  Sly-Boots 54 

X.  Slyer  than  a  Fox 61 

XI.  Pests  of  the  Household 66 

XII.  The  Legend  of  Bishop  Hatto 74 

XIII.  Nut-Crackers  and  Wood-Cutters 77 

XIV.  Long  Ears  and  their  Kin 85 

XV.  Bird-Language 91 

XVI.  The  Monarch  of  the  Mountain 92 

xfe            XVII.  How  I  killed  a  Bear 102 

jp'          XVIII.  The  Bear  in  Fable  and  Story 108 

I                XIX.  Our  Servants  of  Stable  and  Harness 117 

XX.  Kaweah's  Run 123 

XXI.  The  Alarm  Bell  of  Atri 130 

XXII.  Swine  and  their  Forest  Cousins 134 

XXIII.  The  Arab's  Story  of  a  Boar 139 

XXIV.  Giants  with  Tusks  and  Trunk..                                       .  143 


8  CONTENTS.— ( Continu  ed.) 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

XXV.  The  Monarch  of  African  Waters 151 

XXVI.  The  Giant  Pig  of  the  Jungle 157 

XXVII.  The  Fiftieth  Birthday  of  Agassiz 162 

XXVIII.  Our  Farm-Yard  Milk-Givers 164 

XXIX.  The  Bovine  Dwellers  of  Other  Lands 171 

XXX.  The  Rodeo  of  the  Llanos 178 

XXXI.  Wool-Bearers  of  the  Pastures 184 

XXXII.  Mountain  Milk-Givers. . .  .  190 

XXXIII.  Agile  Dwellers  of  Mountain  and  Plain 195 

XXXIV.  Antlered  Tenants  of  the  Woods 203 

XXXV.  The  Laplander's  Treasure 210 

XXXVI.  The  Ship  of  the  Desert 215 

XXXVII.  Some  Cousins  of  the  Camel 222 

XXXVIII.  Foot-handed  Foxes  and  Squirrels 229 

XXXIX.  Howlers  and  Weepers  of  Amazonian  Forests 233 

XL.  Long-tailed  Dwellers  of  the  Tree-Tops 241 

XLI.  Tailless  Tree-Climbers  of  the  Wilds. .  .  246 


THE  FOX  AND  THE  GRAPES. 


A  hungry  fox  saw  some  ripe  clus- 
ters of  grapes  hanging  high  up  on  a 
vine.  He  leaped  upward,  and  for 
a  long  time  tried  to  get  at  them. 
Finding  them  beyond  his  reach,  and 
tired  out  with  jumping,  he  limped 

and  said,  "  Just  as  I  thought — 
those  grapes  are  sour  ! " 


The  Jaguar. 


CHAPTER   I. 
CATS   OF   FOREST  AND    PRAIRIE. 

1.  As  our  old  friend  the  cat  lies  stretched  before  the 
fire  or  moves  about  the  house,  we  can  give  attention  to 
her  peculiar  eye  that  adapts  itself  to  darkness  as  well  as 
light;  to  her  cushioned  paws  that  enable  her  to  tread 
softly  and  noiselessly  as  if  on  velvet ;  to  her  five  toes  on 
her  fore-paws,  and  four  toes  on  her  hind-paws ;  to  the 
sharp  claws  with  which  these  toes  are  armed,  which  are 
thrust  out  of  sheaths  when  needed  for  use,  and  withdrawn 
and  covered  when  at  rest.     We  can  also  notice  the  in- 
cisor or  cutting  teeth  of  the  cat,  of  which  she  has  six 
above  and  six  below ;  and  the  four  canine  or  dog  teeth,  so 
much  longer  than  the  rest,  which  she  possesses  in  com- 
mon with  nearly  all  other  carnivorous  or  flesh-eating  ani- 
mals. 

2.  All  these  curious  things  about  a  cat  should  be  care- 
fully borne  in  mind,  because  they  are  possessed  by  the 
numerous  species  of  the  cat  kind,  and  bring  into  close 
cousinship  the  mouser  that  purrs  on  the  warm  hearth  and 
the  lion  that  wakes  the  echoes  in  the  African  forest ;  and 
this  same  relationship  of  the  home  cat  lends  a  new  inter- 
est to  all  her  habits.     To  see  her  walk  softly,  stealthily 
crouching  half-way  to  the  ground,  and  gracefully  curling 
back  and  forth  her  long  tail  as  she  draws  near  to  and 
finally  springs  upon  her  prey,  is  to  see  just  what  the 
jaguar,  leopard,  tiger,  or  other  greater  cats  do0 


12         NEIGHBORS    WITH  CLAWS  AND  HOOFS. 

3.  The  wild  cat,  which  is  twice  as  large  as  the  home 
cat,  "is  common  to  almost  every  country,  and  is  cele- 
brated for  its  ferocity.     It  is  distinguishable  from  the  do- 
mestic cat  not  only  by  its  greater  size,  but  by  the  short- 
ness of  its  tail,  which  shows  that  it  is  of  another  species. 

4.  "  The  wild  cat  makes  its  nest  in  hollow  trees  near 
the  ground,  and  is  so  ingenious  in  disguising  its  location 
that  it  is  rarely  discovered.     It  is  very  successful  in  its 


The  Wild  Cat. 

search  for  food,  and  every  species  of  bird  and  small  quad- 
ruped becomes  its  prey.  When  it  once  discovers  a  flock 
of  wild  turkeys,  it  will  keep  in  the  vicinity  until  the  young 
and  inexperienced  are  destroyed.  The  wild  cat  of  America 
is  different  from  that  of  Europe,  and  is  a  cousin  of  the 
lynx. 

5.  "  In  the  early  settlement  of  Kentucky  a  schoolmas- 
ter was  sitting  alone  in  his  log  cabin,  when  he  was  sur- 
prised to  see  a  large  cat  enter  his  premises.  Ignorant  of 
the  ferocity  of  this  wild  animal,  he  shut  the  door  and 
commenced  an  attack.  The  battle  was  long  and  bloody, 


CATS  OF  FOREST  AND  PRAIRIE,  13 

the  man  being  torn  nearly  into  shreds ;  and  when  discov- 
ered in  the  morning  he  was  found  with  his  hands  upon 
the  cat's  throat,  his  knees  upon  its  haunches,  the  animal 
dead  and  stiffened  by  cold.  The  victor,  in  his  terror,  had 
probably  remained  in  the  position  described  the  livelong 
night,  his  muscles  paralyzed,  his  nerves  shattered,  and 
never  through  a  long  life  did  he  entirely  recover  from  the 
terrible  encounter." 

6.  The  jaguar  is  a  native  of  tropical  South  America, 
and  of  North  America  as  far  north  as  Louisiana.     It  very 
closely  resembles  the  leopard.     The  spots  on  its  skin  are 
rings  of  dark  color,  inclosing  spaces  of  lighter  hue,  and 
resemble  rosettes.     It  is  sometimes  called  the  American 
tiger.     "  It  follows  in  the  tracks  of  wild  herds  of  cattle 
and  horses,  and  thus  finds  its  principal  subsistence.     Its 
mode  of  killing  prey  differs  from  that  of  the  other  cats, 
which  is  to  seize  by  the  throat.     The  jaguar,  on  the  con- 
trary, springs  upon  the  back  of  its  victim,  and  by  its  arms 
and  with  a  sudden  jerk  of  the  head  dislocates  the  neck. 
Its  strength  is  sufficient  to  enable  it  to  drag  the  body  of  a 
horse  a  great  distance. 

7.  "  It  is  related  that,  many  years  ago,  a  jaguar  took 
possession  of  a  church  at  Santa  Fe  and  killed  the  padre. 
The  priest's  absence  caused  suspicion,  and  an  assistant 
went  to  the  church,  but  to  the  people  was  as  unaccount- 
ably delayed  as  his  predecessor.     After  some  time  another 
priest  entered  the  church,  and  was  instantly  attacked  by 
the  jaguar ;  but  he  managed  to  escape  and  give  the  alarm. 
No  one  now  could  be  found  brave  enough  to  enter  the 
building ;  so  the  people  unroofed  a  corner  of  the  church, 
and  from  a  safe  distance  shot  their  enemy. 

8.  "  The  puma  is  the  American  lion  ;  at  least  it  bears  a 
closer  resemblance  to  that  noble  beast  than  any  other  of 
the  feline  family,  for  it  is  destitute  of  the  stripes  of  the 


14:         NEIGHBORS   WITH  CLAWS  AND  HOOFS. 


tiger,  the  spots  of  tlie  leopard,  and  the  rosettes  of  the 
jaguar ;  but  the  full-grown  animal  possesses  a  tawny-red 

color, 


almost'  uni- 
form over  the 
whole  body,  and 
hence  the  inference 
that  it  is  like  the 
lion.  In  different 
parts  of  the  coun- 
try it  has  been 
called  by  different 
names,  as  panther, 
or  '  painter,'  and 
mountain  -  lion,  or 
cougar.  The  true 
panther  is  a  differ- 
ent animal,  and 
lives  in  Africa. 

9.  "In  form  the 

puma  is  less  attractive  than  the  generality  of  its  species, 
there  being  an  apparent  want  of  symmetry.  Its  back  is 
hollow,  its  legs  short  and  thick,  and  its  tail  does  not  grace- 
fully taper.  Yet  Nature  has  given  to  the  puma  other 
qualities  as  a  compensation,  the  most  remarkable  of  which 
is  its  power  to  render  itself  quite  invisible ;  for  so  cun- 
ningly tinged  is  its  fur,  that  it  perfectly  mingles  with  the 
bark  of  trees,  and,  stretched  out  upon  a  limb,  or  even  ex- 
tended upon  the  floor  of  its  dimly-lighted  cage,  it  is  diffi- 
cult to  be  assured  of  its  presence. 

10.  "A  hunter  on  the  Rio  Grande,  who  was  always 
successful,  became  so  annoyed  by  the  taunts  of  his  com- 
panions that  he  determined  to  adopt  the  Coma,nche  Indian 
fashion  of  hunting,  and  accordingly  dressed  himself  in  a 
deer-skin  and  ornamented  his  head  with  huge  antlers. 


The  Puma  and  Deer. 


CA  TS  OF  FOREST  AND  PRAIRIE. 


15 


Thus  equipped  he  sallied  out  and  took  his  place  at  a  favor- 
ite '  stand.'  A  few  moments  only  elapsed  before  a  puma, 
perched  in  the  limbs  of  the  tree  above,  thinking  that  he 
saw  a  '  sure-enough  buck,'  leaped  from  his  airy  abode 
plump  on  the  hunter's  back,  at  the  same  time  burying  his 
claws  and  teeth  deeply  into  the  dried  skin. 

11.  "A  yell  of  fright  and  astonishment  greeted  the 
puma  such  as  never  before  was  heard  from  the  throat  of 
living  venison,  and,  dropping  his  game,  the  animal  and 
the  hunter  took  different  directions,  it  being  a  matter  of 
uncertainty  even  to  this  day  which  of  the  two  was  most 
alarmed." 

12.  The  lynx  is  a  spotted  animal,  abounding  in  the 
northern  parts  of  Europe,  Asia,  and  America.     It  varies 
in   size,  some   spe- 
cies being  nearly  as 

large  as  a  wolf. 
The  ancients  conse- 
crated this  animal 
to  Bacchus,  and 
Pliny  tells  about  it 
some  absurd  stories, 
among  which  is  that 
it  can  see  through  a 
wall.  Hence  the 
expression  lynx- 
eyed,  denoting  keen 
sight,  which  has 
passed  into  our  lan- 
guage. This  animal  frequents  mountains  and  wooded 
districts,  hunting  in  pairs,  the  female  frequently  followed 
by  her  young.  He  reposes  during  the  day,  and  goes 
forth  by  night  to  seek  his  prey» 

13.  The  hyena  is  not  so  much  of  a  cat  as  the  animals 


The  Lynx. 


16 


NEIGHBORS    WITH  CLA  WS  AND  HOOFS. 


already  described.  His  feet  are  all  four- toed ;  his  body 
slopes  back  from  the  shoulders ;  his  neck  wears  a  bushy 
mane.  In  disposition  and  appetite  he  is  ferocious  and 
ravenous,  and  he  can  not  be  tamed.  Bruce  says  of  the 
hyena,  in  his  "  Travels  "  :  ik  We  have  no  reason  to  attribute 


extraordinary  wisdom  to  him.  He  is,  on  the  contrary, 
brutish,  indolent,  slovenly,  and  impudent,  and  seems  to 
possess  the  manners  of  the  wolf.  His  courage  has  nothing 
of  the  brave  in  it,  and  he  dies  oftener  flying  than  fighting. 
14.  "  In  Barbary  I  have  seen  the  Moors  in  the  day- 
time take  this  animal  by  the  ears  and  pull  him  toward 
them  without  his  attempting  any  other  resistance  than 
that  of  drawing  back ;  and  the  hunters,  when  his  cave  is 
large  enough  to  give  them  admittance,  take  a  torch  in 
their  hand  and  go  straight  to  him,  when  they  throw  a 
blanket  over  him  and  drag  him  out." 


CATS  OF  DESERT  AND  JUNGLE. 


17 


CHAPTER   II. 
CATS   OF    DESERT   AND   JUNGLE. 

1.  "  THE  leopard,"  says  Anderssen, "  is  common  through- 
out Southern  Africa  generally,  but,  from  its  cunning,  act- 
ive nature,  and  nocturnal  habits,  is  but  rarely  seen.  It  is 


The  Leopard. 

about  two  feet  seven  inches  high  at  the  shoulder,  and 
seven  feet  six  inches  in  extreme  length.  The  chin,  neck, 
breast,  and  inside  of  the  extremities,  are  white,  the  rest 
tawny  or  reddish-brown,  irregularly  marked  with  spots  of 
black,  which  vary  in  number,  size,  and  appearance,  at  dif- 
ferent ages  and  seasons.  In  its  wild  state  it  is  exceed- 
ingly beautiful,  its  motions  in  the  highest  degree  easy  and 
graceful,  and  its  agility  in  bounding  among  the  rocks  and 
woods  quite  amazing. 

2.  "  The  chief  resorts  of  the  leopard  are  mountainous 
districts  where  rock  is  piled  on  rock  in  frightful  confu- 
sion, leaving  between  them  fissures  and  caverns.     It  is 
2 


18         NEIGHBORS   WITH  CLAWS  AND  HOOFS. 

met  also  in  dense  brakes  and  tangled  coverts,  where,  if 
hard  pressed  by  the  hunter,  it  takes  refuge  in  a  tree,  and, 
if  this  be  large  and  thickly  shaded,  it  is  not  without  diffi- 
culty that  the  animal  is  discovered,  it  having  a  marvelous 
faculty  of  concealing  itself  behind  some  knotty  branch  or 
at  the  junction  of  the  larger  limbs  with  the  trunk. 

3.  "  Its  food  is  various  ;  indeed,  hardly  anything  comes 
amiss  to  its  voracious  appetite  and  blood-thirsty  nature, 
and,  what  is  worse,  it  wantonly  slays  more  than  it  can  eat, 
and  thus  becomes  doubly  destructive.     It  attacks  birds, 
monkeys,  baboons,  dogs,  antelopes,  sheep,  goats,  and  young 
cattle.     It  is  said  that  it  causes  the  natives  and  colonists 
more  damage  than  even  the  lion  and  other  beasts  of  prey 
put  together.     It  preys  upon  the  ostrich,  among  whose 
kind,  from  their  want  of  smell  and  sight,  it  commits  great 
ravages.     I  am  inclined  to  believe  that  of  the  large  num- 
ber annually  destroyed,  whether  by  man  or  otherwise,  two 
thirds  may  be  fairly  charged  to  the  leopard's  account.     I 
was,  on  a  certain  occasion,  an  eye-witness  to  its  wonderful 
powers  in  this  way.     It  was  under  these  circumstances  : 

4.  "  One  evening  a  little  before  sunset,  while  I  was 
still  suffering  from  the  effects  of  fever,  all  my  dogs  sud- 
denly began  to  give  chase  to  some  animal  which  the  dis- 
tance did  not  enable  me  to  distinguish.     Judging  from 
their  movements,  however,  they  had  a  formidable  antag- 
onist before  them.     They  were,  I  concluded,  from  their 
steady,  unbroken,  deep  bay,  close  upon  the  haunches  of 
the  enemy,  yet  I  could  not  distinctly  see  either  the  dogs 
or  the  object  of  their  pursuit. 

5.  "  All  at  once  a  magnificent  leopard  sprang  right  be- 
fore me  from  the  topmost  branches  of  a  tall  acacia,  clear- 
ing with  a  single  bound  all  his  fierce  assailants.     I  wras  so 
astounded  at  the  magnitude  of  the  leap  that,  looking  first 
at  the  tree  and  then  at  the  place  on  which  the  beautiful 


CATS  Of  DESERT  AND  JUNGLE.  19 

animal  alighted,  I  could  hardly  withdraw  my  eyes  from 
the  spot.  Had  the  dogs  been  equally  fascinated  they 
would  have  lost  their  prey,  but,  spurred  on  by  rage,  be- 
fore the  leopard  had  run  a  hundred  yards  they  had  over- 
powered and  killed  him." 

6.  "  Naturalists  are  not  very  well  agreed,"  says  Captain 
Brown,  "  as  to  the  distinctions  between  the  panther  and 
the  leopard.     Both  animals  are  spotted,  and  not  striped  as 
the  tiger  is ;  and  the  panther  is  generally  allowed  to  be 
larger  than  the  leopard,  and  his  range  is  confined  to  Africa. 
Their  habits  are  nearly  alike.     The  panther  is  capable 
of  domestication,  as  the  following  account  of  an  African 
traveler  shows  :  i  This  panther  and  another  were  found, 
when  very  young,  in  the  forest,  apparently  deserted  by 
their  mother.     They  were  taken  to  the  King  of  Ashantee, 
in  whose  palace  they  lived  several  weeks,  when  my  hero, 
being  much  larger  than  his  companion,  suffocated  him  in 
a  romping  fit,  and  was  sent  to  Mr.  Hutchison  at  Coomas- 
sie.     This  gentleman,  observing  that  the  animal  was  very 
docile,  took  pains  to  tame  him,  and  in  a  great  measure 
succeeded. 

7.  " '  Once  or  twice  he  stole  a  fowl,  but  easily  gave  it 
up  to  his  master  on  being  allowed  a  portion  of  something 
else.     The  day  of  his  arrival  he  was  placed  in  a  small 
court,  and  after  dinner  was  led  by  a  thin  cord  into  the 
room,  where  he  received  our  salutations  with  some  degree 
of  roughness  but  with  perfect  good  humor.     On  the  least 
encouragement   he  laid  his   paws  upon    our  shoulders, 
rubbed  his  head  upon  us,  and,  his  teeth  and  claws  hav- 
ing been  filed,  there  was  no  danger  of  tearing  our  clothes. 

8.  "  '  He  was  kept  in  the  above  court  for  a  week  or 
two,  and  showed  no  ferocity,  except  when  one  of  the  serv- 
ants tried  to  pull  his  food  from  him.     He  then  caught  the 
offender  by  the  leg  and  tore  out  a  piece  of  flesh,  but  he 


20 


NEIGHBORS   WITH  CLAWS  AND  HOOFS. 


never  seemed  to  owe  him  any  ill-will  afterward.  One 
morning  he  broke  his  cord,  and,  the  cry  being  given,  the 
castle  gates  were  shut  and  a  chase  commenced.  After 
leading  his  pursuers  two  or  three  times  around  the  ram- 
parts, and  knocking  over  a  few  children  by  bouncing 
against  them,  he  suffered  himself  to  be  caught  and  led 
quietly  back  to  his  quarters  under  one  of  the  guns  of  the 
fortress.'  " 


The  Tiger, 


CATS   OF  DESERT  AND  JUNGLE.  21 

9.  "  While  the  lion  reigns  in  Africa,"  writes  Hartwig, 
"  the  tiger  is  lord  and  master  of  the  Indian  jungles.     A 
splendid  animal,  elegantly  striped  with  black  on  a  white 
and  golden  ground,  graceful  in  every  movement,  but  of  a 
most  bloody  and  cruel  nature.     The  long  body  resting  on 
short  legs  wants  the  proud  bearing  of  the  lion ;  but  the 
naked  head,  the  rolling  eye,  the  scarlet  tongue  lolling 
from  the  jaws,  and  the  whole  expression  of  the  tiger,  in- 
dicate a  blood-thirsty,  pitiless  ferocity  which  wreaks  itself 
on  every  living  thing  that  comes  within  his  grasp.     In 
the  bamboo  jungle,  on  the  banks  of  pools  and  rivers,  he 
waits  for  the  approaching  herds.    There  he  seeks  his  prey, 
or  rather  multiplies  his  murders,  for  he  leaves  one  victim 
writhing  in  the  agony  of  death  only  to  rend  and  drink 
the  blood  of  another. 

10.  "  The  tiger  is  particularly  fond  of  dense  willow  or 
bamboo  bushes  on  swampy  ground,  as  there  he  finds  the 
cool  shade  he  requires  for  his  rest  during  the  heat  of  the 
day  after  his  nocturnal  excursions.     It  is  then  very  diffi- 
cult to  detect  him ;  but  the  other  inhabitants  of  the  jun- 
gle, particularly  the  peacock  and  the  monkey,  betray  his 
presence.     The  scream  of  the  former  is  the  sure  sign  that 
the  tiger  is  rising  from  his  lair ;  and  the  monkeys,  who 
during  the  night  are  frequently  surprised  by  the  panther 
or  the  boa,  never  allow  their 

watchfulness  to  be  at  fault 
during  the  day.  When,  on 
examining  a  jungle,  the  trav- 
eler sees  a  monkey  quietly 
seated  on  the  branches,  he  may 

be  perfectly  sure  that  no  dan-  "The~Tiver"at  Home. 

gerous  animal  lurks  about. 

11.  "  Tiger-hunting  is  a  chief  pleasure  of  the  Indian 
rajahs,  who  forbid  any  one  else  to  chase  on  their  domains. 


22          NEIGHBORS    WITH  CLAWS  AND  HOOFS. 

however  much  their  poor  vassals  may  have  to  suffer  in 
consequence.  But  the  delight  they  take  in  tiger-shooting 
never  leads  these  cautious  Nimrods  so  far  as  to  endanger 
their  precious  persons.  On  some  trees  of  the  jungle  a 
scaffolding  is  prepared  at  a  ludicrous  height  for  his  high- 
ness, who  at  the  appointed  hour  makes  his  appearance 
with  all  the  pomp  of  a  petty  Asiatic  despot.  The  beating 
now  begins,  and  is  executed  by  a  troop  of  miserable  peas- 
ants, who  most  unwillingly  submit  to  this  forced  and  un- 
paid labor,  which  is  the  more  dangerous  for  them,  as  they 
are  scattered  on  a  long  line. 

12.  "Thus  they  advance  with  a  dreadful  noise  of 
drums,  horns,  and  pistol-firing,  driving  the  wild  beasts  to- 
ward the  scaffolding  of  their  lord  and  master.  At  first 
the  tigers,  startled  from  their  slumbers,  retreat  before 
them  ;  but  generally,  on  approaching  the  scaffolding,  they 
guess  the  danger  that  awaits  them,  and  turn  with  a  for- 
midable growl  upon  the  drivers.  Nevertheless,  great 
compliments  are  paid  to  the  noble  sportsman  who  aims  a 
fatal  shot  from  the  scaffold,  and  nobody  says  a  word  about 
the  poor,  low-born  wretches  that  may  have  been  killed  or 
mutilated  by  the  infuriated  brutes." 


CHAPTER    III. 
THE    KING    OF  THE   TROPICAL  WILDS. 

1.  "  THE  majestic  form,  the  noble  bearing,  the  stately 
stride,  the  fine  proportions,  the  piercing  eye,  and  the 
dreadful  roar  of  the  lion,  striking  terror  into  the  heart  of 
every  other  animal,  all  combine  to  mark  him  with  the 
stamp  of  royalty.  All  nerve,  all  muscle,  his  enormous 


TIIE  KING   OF  THE  TROPICAL    WILDS. 


23 


strength  shows  itself  in  the  tremendous  bound  with  which 
he  rushes  upon  his  prey,  in  the  rapid  motions  of  his  tail 


The  Lion. 

one  stroke  of  which  is  able  to  fell  the  strongest  man  to 
the  ground,  and  in  the  expressive  wrinkling  of  his  brow. 

2.  "  The  lion  is-  distinguished  from  all  other  members 
of  the  cat  tribe  by  the  uniform  color  of  his  tawny  skin,  by 
the  black  tuft  at  the  end  of  his  tail,  and  particularly  by 
the  long  and  sometimes  blackish  mane  which  he  is  able  to 
bristle  when  under  the  influence  of  passion,  and  which 
contributes  so  much  to  the  beauty  of  the  male,  while  it  is 
wanting  in  the  lioness,  who,  as  every  one  knows,  is  very 
inferior  in  size  and  comeliness  to  her  stately  mate. 

3.  "  His  chief  food  consists  of  the  flesh  of  the  larger 
herbivorous  animals,  very  few  of  which  he  is  unable  to 
master.     Concealed  in  the  high  rushes  on  the  river's  bank, 
he  lies  in  ambush  for  the  timorous  herd  of  antelopes  which 
at  nightfall  approach  the  water  to  quench  their  thirst, 


24         NEIGHBORS   WITH  CLAWS  AND  HOOFS. 

Slowly  and  cautiously  the  children  of  the  waste  advance. 
They  listen  with  erect  ears,  they  strain  their  eyes  to  pene- 


The  Lion  and  its  Prey. 

trate  the  thicket's  gloom ;  but  nothing  suspicious  appears 
or  moves  along  the  bank.  Long  and  deeply  they  quaff 
the  delicious  draught,  when  suddenly,  with  a  giant  spring, 
like  lightning  bursting  from  a  cloud,  the  lion  bounds  upon 
the  unsuspecting  revelers,  and  the  leader  of  the  herd  lies 
prostrate  at  his  feet." 

4:.  During  the  daytime  the  lion  seldom  attacks  man, 
and  sometimes  even  when  meeting  a  traveler  he  is  said  to 
pass  him  by  unnoticed ;  but  when  the  shades  of  evening 
descend  his  mood  undergoes  a  change.  After  sunset  it  is 
dangerous  to  venture  into  the  woody  and  wild  regions  of 
Mount  Atlas,  in  Africa,  for  there  the  lion  lies  in  wait,  and 
there  one  finds  him  stretched  across  the  narrow  path. 

5.  It  is  then  that  dramatic  scenes  of  exciting  interest 
frequently  take  place.  When,  so  say  the  Bedouins,  a  sin- 
gle man  thus  meeting  a  lion  is  possessed  of  a  brave  heart, 


THE  KING    OF  THE  TROPICAL    WILDS. 


25 


he  advances  toward  the  monster  brandishing  his  sword  or 
flourishing  his  rifle  high  in  the  air,  and,  taking  good  care 
not  to  strike  or  shoot,  contents  himself  with  pouring  forth 
a  torrent  of  abuse  : 

6.  "  '  Oh  thou  mean-spirited  thief ! '  he  says,   c  thou 
pitiful  waylayer !  thou  son  of  one  that  never  ventured  to 
say  no !     Think'st  thou  that  I  fear  thee  ?     Knowest  thou 
whose  son  I  am  ?     Arise  and  let  me  pass ! '     The  lion 
waits  till  the  man  approaches  quite  near  him,  then  he  re- 
tires, but  soon  stretches  himself  once  more  across  the  path  ; 
and  thus  by  many  repeated  trials  puts  the   courage   of 
the  wanderer  to  the  test. 

All  the  time  the  move- 
ments of  the  lion  are  at- 
tended with  a  dreadful 
noise.  He  breaks  num- 
berless branches  with 
his  tail;  he  roars,  he 
growls.  Like  the  cat 
with  the  mouse,  he  plays 
with  the  object  of  his 

,  .      J   .  Teeth  of  the  Lion. 

attacks,     keeping    him 

perpetually  suspended  between  hope  and  fear. 

7.  "If  the  man  engaged  in  this  combat  keeps  up  his 
courage,  if,  as  the  Arabs  say,  <  he  holds  fast  his  soul,'  then 

the  brute  at  last  quits 
him  and  seeks  some 
other  prey  ;  but  if  the 
lion  perceives  that  he 
has  to  do  with  an  op- 
ponent whose  courage 
falters,  whose  voice 
trembles,  who  does 
Uon's  Claw— sheathed.  not  venture  a  threat, 


26         NEIGHBORS   WITH  CLA  WS  AND  HOOFS. 

then  to  terrify  him  still  more  he  redoubles  the  perform- 
ances   above    described.      lie    approaches    his   victim, 

pushes  him  from  the 
path,  then  leaves  him 

*         N-KV.  ,          and  approaches  him 

NO^!  S,     '^-          \       again,  and  enjoys  the 

agony  of  the  wretch, 
until  at  last  he  tears 
him  to  pieces." 

8.    The    lion    is 

Lion'1  s  Claw — Unsheathed.  •  j   ,      i  T 

said  to  have  a  pecul- 
iar liking  for  the  flesh  of  the  Hottentots,  and  it  is  sur- 
prising with  what  obstinacy  he  will  follow  one  of  these 
unfortunate  savages.  A  Hottentot,  who  endeavored  to 
drive  his  master's  cattle  into  a  pool  of  water  inclosed  be- 
tween two  ridges  of  rocks,  espied  a  huge  lion  crouching 
in  the  midst  of  the  pool.  Terrified  at  the  unexpected 
sight  of  such  a  beast,  that  seemed  to  have  his  eyes  fixed 
upon  him,  he  instantly  took  to  his  heels.  In  doing  this  he 
had  presence  of  mind  enough  to  run  through  the  herd, 
concluding  that  if  the  lion  should  pursue  he  would  take 
the  first  beast  that  presented  itself. 

9.  In  this,  however,  he  was  mistaken.     The  lion  broke 
through  the  herd,  making  directly  for  the  Hottentot,  who, 
on  turning  round  and  perceiving  that  the  monster  had 
singled  him  out,  breathless  and  half  dead  with  fear,  scram- 
bled up  one  of  the  tree  aloes,  in  the  trunk  of  which  a  few 
steps  had  luckily  been  cut  out  to  reach  some  birds'  nests 
on  the  branches.     At  the  same  moment  the  lion  made  a 
spring  at  him,  but,  missing  his  aim,  fell  upon  the  ground. 
In  surly  silence  he  walked  round  the  tree,  casting  at  times 
a  dreadful  look  toward  the  poor  Hottentot,  who  screened 
himself  from  his  sight  behind  the  branches. 

10.  Having  remained  silent  and  motionless  for  a  long 


THE  SULTANA    OF  THE  DESERT.  27 

time,  he  at  length  ventured  to  peep,  hoping  that  the  lion 
had  taken  his  departure,  when,  to  his  great  terror  and  as- 
tonishment, his  eyes  met  those  of  the  animal,  which,  as 
the  poor  fellow  afterward  ^^ 
expressed  himself,  flashed  \ 
fire  at  him.  In  short,  the 
lion  laid  himself  down  at 
the  foot  of  the  tree,  and  did 
not  move  from  the  place  for 
twenty-four  hours.  At  the 
end  of  this  time,  becoming 

parched  with  thirst,  he  went  to  a  spring  at  some  distance 
in  order  to  drink.  The  Hottentot  now  with  great  fear 
ventured  to  descend,  and  scampered  off  home  as  fast  as 
his  feet  could  carry  him. 


CHAPTER   IV. 

THE    SULTANA   OF   THE    DESERT. 

1.  NEAR  the  close  of  the  last  century,  while  the  French 
army  under  Bonaparte  occupied  Egypt,  a  soldier  belong- 
ing to  the  division  of  Desaix  was  captured  by  the  Arabs 
and  carried  away.     In  order  to  put  a  safe  distance  between 
themselves   and  the  French,  the  Arabs  made  a  forced 
march  through  the  desert,  and  at  night  encamped  by  a 
fountain  surrounded  by  palm-trees. 

2.  Here  they  bound  the  hands  of  their  prisoner,  fed 
their  horses,  made  a  supper  of  dates,  and  all  went  to  sleep. 
As  soon  as  the  Frenchman  saw  that  he  was  not  watched, 
he  unloosed  the  knot  which  bound  him  with  his  teeth  and 
regained  his  liberty.     He  seized  a  carbine,  some  dried 


NEIGHBORS    WITH  CLAWS  AND  HOOFS. 


T7ie  Panther. 

dates,  and  a  little  bag  of  grain,  and  armed  with  a  cimeter 
he  mounted  a  horse  and  started  off  in  the  direction  of  the 
French  army. 

3.  He  rode  all  night  and  far  into  the  next  day,  when 
his  weary  horse  fell  down  dead  and  left  him  alone  in  the 
midst  of  the  desert.  For  a  long  time  he  walked  on ;  but 
at  length  his  strength  gave  out,  and  he  was  obliged  to 
stop.  The  day  was  finished ;  the  Oriental  night  was  full 


THE  SULTANA    OF  THE  DESERT.  29 

of  freshness  and  beauty.  At  a  little  distance  he  discov 
ered  a  cluster  of  palms.  To  these  he  dragged  his  weary 
limbs,  and  lay  down  and  slept. 

4.  He  was  awakened  by  the  pitiless  rays  of  the  sun. 
The  prospect  around  him  filled  him  with  despair.     In 
every  direction  nothing  met  his  eye  but  a  wide  ocean  of 
sand  sparkling  and  glancing  in  the  sunshine.     The  pure 
brilliancy  of  the  sky  left  nothing  for  the  imagination  to 
conceive.    Not  a  cloud  obscured  its  splendor ;  not  a  zephyr 
moved  the  face  of  the  desert.    There  was  a  wild  and  awful 
majesty  in  the  universal  stillness.     God  in  all  his  infinite 
majesty  seemed  present  to  the  soul. 

5.  Sad   and   gloomy  the   desolate  wanderer  walked 
around  the  little  eminence  on  which  the  palm-trees  grew. 
To  his  great  joy  he  discovered  on  the  opposite  side  a  sort 
of  natural  grotto,  formed  in  a  ledge  of  granite.     Hope 
was  awakened  in  his  breast.     Here  he  might  rest  in  safety. 
The  palms  would  furnish  him  with  dates  for  food,  and 
human  beings  might  come  that  way  before  they  were  ex- 
hausted. 

6.  He  occupied  himself  during  the  day  with  arranging 
defenses  for  the  mouth  of  the  grotto,  so  that  he  would  not 
be  molested  by  wild  beasts,  which  would  probably  come 
in  the  night-time  to  drink  at  the  little  spring  bubbling  up 
at  the  foot  of  the  palms.     Before  his  fortifications  were 
finished,  night  came  on,  and,  wearied  by  his  exertions  and 
the  extreme  heat  of  the  day,  he  crawled  into  the  grotto 
and  soon  fell  into  a  profound  sleep. 

7.  In  the  night  he  was  awakened  by  a  sudden  noise. 
He  started  up  and  listened,  and  in  the  deep  silence  he 
could  hear  the  loud  breathings  of  some  animal.     The  hair 
rose  upon  his  head,  and  he  strained  his  eyes  to  the  utmost 
to  perceive  the  object  of  his  terror.     By  the  rays  of  the 
moon  that  entered  the  chinks  of  the  cave,  he  discovered 


30         NEIGHBORS   WITH  CLAWS  AND  HOOFS. 

an  enormous  animal  lying  but  a  few  feet  away.  There 
was  not  sufficient  light  to  distinguish  what  animal  it  was. 
It  might  be  a  lion,  a  tiger,  a  crocodile ;  but  there  was  no 
doubt  of  the  presence  of  some  large  and  terrible  creature. 

8.  When  the  moon  rose  so  as  to  shine  directly  into  the 
grotto,  its  beams  lighted  up  the  beautiful  spotted  hide  of 
a  huge  panther.     This  lion  of  Egypt  slept  with  her  head 
upon  her  paws  with  the  comfortable  dignity  of  a  great 
house-dog.    The  soldier  dared  not  make  the  slightest  noise 
lest  he  should  awaken  her.      Nothing  broke  the  deep 
silence  but  the  breath  of  the  panther  and  the  strong  beat- 
ings of  his  own  heart. 

9.  To  attempt  her  destruction  and  fail,  would  be  cer- 
tain death.     She  was  too  near  to  use  his  carbine.     Twice 
he  put  his  hand  upon  his  cimeter;  but  the  thought  of 
her  hard  rough  skin  made  him  relinquish  his  project. 
Day  came  at  last,  and  showed  the  jaws  of  the  sleeping 
panther  covered  with  blood.     "  She  has  eaten  lately,"  said 
the  Frenchman  to  himself ;  "  she  will  not  awake  in  him- 
ger." 

10.  She  was  in  truth  a  beautiful  monster.     The  fur 
on  her  throat  and  legs  was  a  delicate  buff;   a  circle  of 
dark  spots  like  velvet  formed  bracelets  around  her  paws ; 
her  large,  muscular  tail  was  buff  with  rings  of  black ;  and 
the  soft,  smooth  fur  of  her  body  was  of  a  glowing  yellow, 
like  un wrought  gold,  richly  shaded  with  dark-brown  and 
black  spots.     She  reposed  in  the  graceful  attitude  of  a 
puss  sleeping  on  a  footstool.     Her  head  rested  on  her  out- 
stretched paws,  and  her  smellers  spread  out  like  silver 
threads. 

11.  When  the  sun  arose,  the  panther  suddenly  opened 
her  eyes,  stretched  out  her  paws,  and  gaped,  showing  a 
frightful  row  of  teeth  and  a  great  tongue  as  hard  and 
rough  as  a  file.     She  then  began  to  wash  her  paws,  pass- 


THE  SULTANA    OF  THE  DESERT.  31 

ing  them  over  her  ears  from  time  to  time  as  prettily  as  a 
kitten.  "  Very  well  done,"  thought  the  soldier ;  "  she  does 
her  toilet  very  handsomely."  He  seized  a  little  dagger 
which  he  had  taken  from  the  Arabs,  and  prepared  to  bid 
her  good-morning.  At  this  moment  the  panther  turned 
her  head  and  saw  him. 

12.  The  fixedness  of  her  bright  metallic  eyes  made  the 
soldier  tremble.    She  arose  and  moved  toward  him.    With 
great  presence  of  mind  he  looked  her  directly  in  the  eye. 
When  she  came  up  to  him  he  gently  scratched  her  head 
and  smoothed  her  fur.     Her  eyes  gradually  softened,  and 
at  last  she  purred  like  a  petted  cat ;  but  so  deep  and 
strong  were  her  notes  of  joy  that  they  resounded  through 
the  cave  like  the  rolling  of  a  church-organ. 

13.  The  Frenchman  redoubled  his  caresses,  and  turned 
and  went  out  of  the  grotto.     The  panther  came  bounding 
after  him,  lifting  up  her  back  and  rubbing  like  an  affec- 
tionate kitten.     He  felt  of  her  ears  and  throat,  and,  per- 
ceiving that  she  was  pleased  with  it,  he  began  to  tickle 
the  back  of  her  head  with  the  point  of  his  dagger,  hoping 
to  find  an  opportunity  to  stab  her  ;  but  her  strength  and 
size  made  him  tremble  lest  he  should  not  succeed. 

14.  The  beautiful  sultana  of  the  desert  tried  the  cour- 
age of  her  companion  by  stretching  out  her  neck  and  rub- 
bing against  him.     He  raised  his  arm  to  give  the  fatal 
blow ;  but  at  that  moment  she  crouched  gently  at  his  feet 
and  looked  up  in  his  face  with  a  strange  mixture  of  af- 
fection and  native  fierceness.     The  soldier's  arm  fell,  and 
she  licked  his  shoes  and  purred.     During  the  whole  day 
the  panther  attended  him  as  a  dog  does  his  master,  and 
never  suffered  him  to  be  out  of  sight. 

15.  Taking  courage  from  the  past,  he  began  to  hope 
he  could  get  along  very  comfortably  with  his  new  com- 
panion.    He  seated  himself  by  her  and  patted  her  neck 


32         NEIGHBORS   WITH  CLA  WS  AND  HOOFS. 

until  she  began  again  to  purr.  He  took  hold  of  her  paws, 
felt  her  ears,  and  rolled  her  over.  She  suffered  him  to  do 
all  this ;  and  when  he  played  with  her  paws  she  carefully 
drew  in  her  claws  lest  she  should  hurt  him.  He  soon  be- 
gan to  have  an  unwillingness  to  kill  her.  In  the  lonely 
desert  she  seemed  like  a  friend.  He  gave  her  a  name, 
and  before  the  end  of  the  day  she  would  look  up  in  his 
face  when  he  called  "  Mignonne ! " 

16.  When  the  sun  went  down  she  uttered  a  deep,  mel- 
ancholy cry.     "  She  is  well  educated,"  said  the  soldier ; 
"  she  has  learned  to  say  her  prayers ! "     He  was  rejoiced 
to  see  her  grow  drowsy.     "  That  is  right,"  said  he,  "  you 
would  better  go  to  sleep  first ! "     When  she  was  sound 
asleep,  he  arose  silently  and  set  off  vigorously  toward  the 
Nile ;  but  he  had  not  gone  a  quarter  of  a  league  over  the 
sand  when  he  heard  the  panther  bounding  after  him,  ut- 
tering at  intervals  a  loud,  sharp  cry. 

17.  Before  she  came  up,  the  Frenchman  fell  into  a 
dangerous  trap  of  loose  sand,  from  which  he  could  not  ex- 
tricate himself.     The  panther  seized  him  by  the  collar, 
drew  him  out  of  the  sand,  and  brought  him  safe  to  the 
other  side  of  the  treacherous  ditch  at  a  single  bound. 
"  My  dear  Mignonne,"  exclaimed  the  soldier  as  he  caressed 
her,  "  our  friendship  is  for  life  and  for  death."     He  re- 
traced his  steps.     Having  hung  out  his  shirt  as  a  signal  to 
any  human  being  who  might  come  near,  he  lay  down  and 
slept. 

18.  When  he  awoke,  Mignonne  was  gone.     He  went 
out,  and  soon  saw  her  at  a  distance  clearing  the  desert 
with  her  long  and  high  bounds.     She  arrived  with  bloody 
jaws.     When  receiving  caresses,  she  purred  and  fixed  her 
eyes  upon  him  with  more  fondness  than  usual.     The  sol- 
dier patted  her  neck  and  talked  to  her  as  he  would  to  a 
companion.     "Ah,  miss,  you  have  been  eating  some  of 


THE  SULTANA    OF  THE  DESERT.  33 

the  Arabs.  Aren't  you  ashamed  ?  Never  mind,  they  are 
worse  animals  than  you  are ;  but  please  don't  take  a  fancy 
to  grind  up  a  poor  Frenchman.  If  you  do,  you  won't 
have  me  to  love  you  any  more." 

19.  This  animal  was  so  fond  of  caresses  and  play,  that 
if  her  companion  sat  many  minutes  without  noticing  her 
she  would  put  her  paws  upon  his  lap  to  attract  attention. 
In  this  way  several  days  passed.     The  panther  became 
used  to  the  inflections  of  the  soldier's  voice  and  under- 
stood the  expressions   of  his   face.     While   her  beauty 
pleased,  she  delighted  him  most  when  she  was  on  a  frolic. 
She  showed  the  perfection  of  grace  and  agility  as  she 
glided  swiftly  along,  jumping,  bounding,  and  rolling  over 
and  over.     When  she  was  darting  away  at  full  speed,  she 
would  stop  suddenly  when  the  Frenchman  called,  "  Mig- 
nonne ! " 

20.  One  day  a  large  bird  sailed  through  the  air  over 
their  heads.     In  the  desert  anything  that  has  life  is  of  in- 
terest.    The  soldier  stepped  apart  to  watch  the  flight  of 
the  bird  as  it  slowly  and  heavily  fanned  the  air.     In  a 
few  moments  the  sultana  began  to  growl.     "  She  is  cer- 
tainly jealous,"  said  the  soldier,  as  he  looked  into  her 
fierce  and  glittering  eyes.     They  looked  at  each  other, 
and  the  proud  creature  leaped  as  she  felt  his  hand  on  her 
head.     Her  eyes  flashed  lightning  as  she  shut  them  hard. 
"  The  creature  must  have  a  soul ! "  exclaimed  the  French- 
man. 

21.  This  account  was  given  me  by  the  soldier  himself 
as  we  met  near  the  panther's  cage  in  the  menagerie  at 
Paris.      "I  do  not  know,"  continued  he,  "what  I  had 
done  to  displease  Mignonne,  or  whether  the  creature  was 
merely  in  sport ;   but  she  turned  around,  snapped  her 
teeth  at  me,  and  seized  hold  of  my  leg.     Thinking  she 
was  about  to  destroy  me,  I  plunged  the  dagger  into  her 


31         NEIGHBORS   WITH   CLAWS  AND  HOOFS. 

neck.  The  poor  creature  uttered  a  cry  that  froze  my  very 
heart.  She  made  no  attempt  to  avenge  my  blow,  but 
looked  mildly  upon  me  in  her  dying  agonies.  I  would 
have  given  all  the  world  to  have  recalled  her  to  life.  It 
was  as  if  I  had  murdered  a  friend.  Some  French  soldiers 
who  saw  my  signal  found  me  some  hours  afterward  weep- 
ing beside  her  dead  body. 

22.  "  Ah,  well,"  said  he,  after  a  mournful  silence,  "  I 
have  been  in  the  wars  in  Germany,  Spain,  Prussia,  and 
France,  but  I  never  had  had  such  sensations  as  were  pro- 
duced by  the  lonely  desert  and  my  beautiful  sultana.  In 
the  waste  of  sand  you  felt  the  terrible  majesty  of  God 
alone.  Mignonne  came,  and  with  her  human  sympathies 
and  fears.  She  died,  and  the  terrible  remained.  Her 
mournful  cry  and  the  reproachful  look  of  her  eyes  be- 
fore they  closed  in  death  will  haunt  me  to  my  dying  day." 


CHAPTER   V. 
THE   GUARDIANS   OF  THE   HOUSEHOLD. 

1.  "  I  THINK  every  family  should  have  a  dog ;  it  is  like 
having  a  perpetual  baby;  it  is  the  plaything  and  crony  of 
the  whole  house.  It  keeps  them  all  young."  These  words 
are  from  that  highly  cultivated  friend  of  dogs,  Dr.  John 
Brown,  of  Scotland.  They  express  a  sentiment  which  has, 
to  a  great  extent,  been  anticipated  by  the  history  of  that 
one  of  all  the  kingdom  of  animals  that  has  kept  close  to 
man  in  every  part  of  the  globe.  Indeed,  the  friendship 
of  man  and  his  dog  is  traced  back  to  so  remote  a  period 
of  history,  that  it  can  not  be  certainly  determined  whether 


THE  GUARDIANS  OF  THE  HOUSEHOLD. 


35 


the  family  dog  is  descended  from  the  wolf  or  the  jackal, 
or  whether  it  is  a  distinct  species. 


Faithful  and  kind. 

2.  It  scarcely  needs  to  be  said  that  the  dog  is  a  car- 
nivorous animal,  and  that  his  structure  is  perfectly  adapted 
to  secure  and  dispose  of  his  appropriate  food.  How  many 
toes  the  dog  has  in  his  fore-paws  and  hind-paws,  and  how 
many  teeth  he  has  in  his  two  jaws — how  many  incisors 
or  cutters,  canine  or  dog  teeth,  and  molars — may  be  easily 
ascertained  by  applying  to  the  dog  himself.  Among  the 
numerous  varieties  of  dogs,  including  the  most  diverse  sizes 
and  appearances,  there  is  a  unity  of  feeling.  The  mastiff 
and  the  toy  terrier  recognize  each  other  as  cousins,  but 
neither  will  take  kindly  to  a  tame  woll 


36         NEIGHBORS   WITH  CLAWS  AND  HOOFS. 

3.  Besides  the  innumerable  mixed  curs  that  have  no 
well-defined  characteristics,  many  distinct   varieties  are 
our  familiar  acquaintances.     The  terrier  group  embraces 
the  smooth  English  black-and-tan,  the  rough  Scotch  and 
Isle  of  Skye,  and  the  fox  terriers,  all  of  whom  show  their 
inbred  propensity  to  search  the  terra  or  earth,  when  the 
word  "  rats "  is  mysteriously  pronounced.     The  spaniel, 
with  soft,  curly  hair  and  pendulous  ears,  is  known  by  his 
fondness  for  the  water.     The  mastiff  group  includes  the 
bull-dog,  who  makes  his  attacks  without  a  bark,  the  fa- 
mous English  mastiff — the  prince  of  watch-dogs — and  the 
abused  little  pug,  whose  kingdom  is  the  lap  of  his  mis- 
tress.    The  great,  shaggy,  noble-hearted  Newfoundland 
is  the  pride  of  the  household,  and  the  trusted  friend  oi 
little  children. 

4.  Hundreds  of  stories  have  been  preserved  whicli 
illustrate  the  almost  human  traits  of  dogs — their  intelli 
gence,  reasoning  power,  memory,  humor,  jealousy,  deceit 
sympathy,  and  fidelity.     In  ancient  Egypt  the  dog  wai 
regarded  with  veneration.     By  the  Egyptians,  Sirius  wa& 
called  the  dog-star.     But  the  Eastern  nations  despised  the 
dog,  and  from  them  have  descended  those  phrases  and 
comparisons  which  class  him  with  objects  that  are  low 
and  wicked. 

5.  Erom  these  people,  who  never  treated  this  animal 
as  a  friend  or  companion,  have  come  those  expressions  of 
anger  and  insult  we  too  often  hear :  "  You're  a  dog,"  "  a 
cur,"  "  a  hound."     And  in  the  cities  and  towns  of  India 
and   Turkey,  even  to-day,  travelers  are   impressed  with 
what  are  called  "  street  dogs,"  who  have  no  masters  and 
no  friends. 

6.  Some  gentlemen,  who  kept  tigers  in  cages,  have  fed 
them  with  the  street  dogs  of  India.     "  I  know,"  says  Mr. 
Williamson,  "an  instance  of  one  who  was  thus  devoted  to 


^        ' 


THE  GUARDIANS  OF  THE  HOUSEHOL 

c 

destruction,  and  was  expected  to  become  the  tiger's  '  daily 
bread,'  standing  on  the  defensive  in  a  manner  that  com- 
pletely astonished  both  the  tiger  and  the  spectators.  He 
crept  into  a  corner,  and,  whenever  the  tiger  approached, 
seized  him  by  the  lip  or  the  nose,  making  him  roar  most 
piteously.  The  tiger,  however,  impelled  by  appetite,  for 
no  other  supply  was  given  him  for  several  days,  would  re- 
new the  attack.  The  result  was  ever  the  same. 

7.  "  At  length  the  tiger  began  to  treat  the  dog  with 
more  deference,  and  allowed  him  not  only  to  eat  the  mess 
of  rice  and  meat  daily  furnished  for  his  subsistence,  but 
even  refrained  from  any  attempt  to  disturb  his  rest.    The 
two  animals,  after  some  weeks,  became  completely  court- 
eous, and  each  showed   symptoms  of  attachment  to  his 
companion.     But,  what  must  appear  extraordinary,  was 
that  the  dog,  on  being  allowed  free  ingress  and  egress 
through  the  hole,  considered  the  cage  as  his  home,  always 
returning  to  it  with  confidence,  and,  when  the  tiger  died, 
moaning  for  want  of  his  companion." 

8.  To  illustrate  the  reasoning  power  of  the  dog,  John 
Randolph  related  the  story  of  one  who,  in  pursuit  of  his 
master,  came  to  a  place  where  three  roads  branched  off. 
The  dog  scented  the  ground  on  the  first  road,  then  on  the 
second,  and  then  took  the  third  without  using  his  scent,  as 
much  as  to  say,  "  He  did  not  go  by  the  first  or  the  second, 
therefore  he  must  have  gone  by  the  third."    A  Newfound- 
land dog,  annoyed  beyond  endurance  by  a  small  dog,  picked 
the  little  creature  up  and  dropped  it  into  the  water,  and 
afterward   rescued  it   from   drowning.     Another,  whose 
nose  was  seized  by  a  bull-dog,  who  scarcely  ever  lets  go 
its  grip,  discovered,  near  at  hand,  a  kettle  of  boiling  tar. 
Into  this  he  plunged  his  tormenter,  and  received  instant 
relief. 

9.  Dr.  John  Brown,  of  Edinburgh,  Scotland,  was  a 


38         NEIGHBORS   WITH  CLAWS  AND  HOOFS, 

great  friend  of  dogs,  and  lie  has  written  a.  delightful  sketch 
of  his  pets,  entitled  u  Rob  and  his  Friends."  He  gives 
this  graphic  account  of  his  dog  "  Nipper  "  :  "  Many  yeara 
ago  I  got  a  proof  of  the  unseen  and  therefore  unhelped 
miseries  of  the  homeless  dog.  I  was  walking  down  Duke 
Street,  when  I  felt  myself  gently  nipped  in  the  leg.  I 
turned,  and  there  was  a  ragged  little  terrier  crouching  and 
abasing  himself  utterly,  as  if  asking  pardon  for  what  he 
had  done.  He  then  stood  upon  end,  and  begged  as  only 
these  coaxing  little  ruffians  can. 

10.  "  Being  in  a  hurry,  I  curtly  praised  his  perform- 
ance with  *  Good  dog ! '  clapped  his  dirty  sides,  and,  turn- 
ing round,  made  down  the  hill ;  when  presently  the  same 
nip — perhaps  a  little  nippier — the  same  scene,  only  more 
intense,  the  same  begging  and  urgent  motioning  of  his 
short,  shaggy  paws.     '  There's  meaning  in  this,'  said  I  to 
myself,  and  looked  at  him  keenly  and  differently.     He 
seemed  to  twig  at  once,  and,  with  a  shrill  cry,  was  off 
much  faster  than  I  could.     He  stopped  every  now  and 
then  to  see  that  I  followed,  and,  by  way  of  putting  off  the 
time  and  urging  me,  got  up  on  the  aforesaid  portion  of 
his  body,  and  when  I  came  up  was  off  again. 

11.  "This  continued  till,  after  going  through  sundry 
streets  and  by-lanes,  we  came  to  a  gate,  under  which  my 
short-legged  friend   disappeared.     Of  course,  I  couldn't 
follow  him.     This  astonished  him  greatly.     He  came  out 
to  me,  and  as  much  as  said,  '  Why  don't  you  come  in  ? '    I 
tried  to  open  it,  but  in  vain.     My  friend  vanished,  and 
was  silent.     I  was  leaving  in  despair  and  disgust,  when  I 
heard  his  muffled,  ecstatic  yelp  far  off  round  the  end  of 
the  wall ;  and  there  he  was,  wild  with  excitement.     I  fol- 
lowed, and  came  to  a  place  where,  with  a  somewhat  bur- 
glarious ingenuity,  I  got  myself  squeezed  into  a  deserted 
coach-yard,  lying  all  nude  and  waste. 


THE   GUARDIANS  OF  THE  HOUSEHOLD.         39 

12.  "  My  peremptory  small  friend  went  under  a  shed, 
and  disappeared  in  a  twinkling  through  the  window  of  an 
old  coach-body,  which  had  long  ago  parted  from  its  wheels 
and  become  sedentary.     I  remember  the  arms  of  the  Fife 
family  were  on  its  panel ;  and  I  dare  say  this  chariot  with 
its  C-springs   had  figured  in  1822  at  the  King's  visit, 
when  all  Scotland  was  somewhat  Fifeish.     I  looked  in, 
and  there  was  a  female  pointer  with  a  litter  of  five  pups ; 
the  mother  like  a  ghost,  and  wild  with  maternity  and  hun- 
ger ;  her  raging,  yelling  brood  tearing  away  at  her  dry 
dugs. 

13.  "  I  never  saw  a  more  affecting  or  more  miserable 
scene  than  that  family  inside  the  coach.     The  poor  be- 
wildered mother,  I  found,  had  been  lost  by  some  sports- 
man returning  south,  and  must  have  slunk  away  there  into 
that  deserted  place,  where  she  placed  her  young,  rushing 
out  to  grab  any  chance  garbage,  and  running  back  fiercely 
to  them  day  after  day  and  night  after  night. 

14.  "  What  the  relief  was  when  we  got  her  well  fed 
and  cared  for,  and  her  children  filled  and  silent,  all  cud- 
dling about  her  asleep,  and  she  asleep  too,  awaking  up  to 
assure  herself  that  this  was  all  true,  and  that  there  they 
were,  all  the  five,  each  as  plump  as  a  plum — 

4  All  too  happy  in  the  treasure 
Of  her  own  exceeding  pleasure ' — 

what  this  is  in  kind,  and  all  the  greater  in  amount  as 
many  outnumber  one,  may  b'e  the  relief,  the  happiness, 
the  charity  experienced  and  exercised  in  a  homely,  well- 
regulated  dog-home. 

15.  "Nipper,  for  he  was  a  waif,  I  took  home  that 
night  and  gave  him  a  name.     He  lived  a  merry  life  with 
me,  showed  much  pluck  and  zeal  in  killing  rats,  and  in- 
continently slew  a  cat  which  had — unnatural  brute,  un- 


40         NEIGHBORS   WITH  CLAWS  AND  HOOFS. 

like  his  friend — deserted  her  kittens  and  was  howling  of- 
fensively inside  his  kennel.  He  died  aged  sixteen,  healthy, 
lean,  and  happy  to  the  last.  As  for  Perdita  and  her  pups, 
they  brought  large  prices,  the  late  Andrew  Buchannan,  of 
Coltbridge — an  excellent  authority  and  man,  the  honest- 
est  dog-dealer  I  ever  knew — having  discovered  that  their 
blood  and  her  culture  were  the  best." 


CHAPTER   VI. 
TRAINED   AND    FAITHFUL   SERVANTS. 

1.  ON  the  top  of  Mont  St.  Bernard,  in  Switzerland, 
stands  a  hospice,  or  convent,  inhabited  by  monks,  in  which 
for  many  ages  has  been  preserved  a  large  noble  race  of 
dogs  specially  trained  to  search  for  and  relieve  unfortu- 
nate and  benighted  travelers.     The  dangers  of  the  mount- 
ain-passes, of  the  deep  snows,  and  of  falling  avalanches, 
beset  the  poor  wayfarer,  and,  if  night  should  overtake 
him  before  he  reached  a  human  habitation,  he  often  be- 
came exhausted,  lay  down  in  the  snow,  and  froze  to  death. 

2.  On  a  stormy  night  these  St.  Bernard  dogs  are  sent 
in  pursuit  of  hapless  and  snow-bound  travelers.     By  their 
strong  scent  they  are  able  to  find  the  spot  where  the  vic- 
tim of  misfortune  lay,  when  by  their  huge  paws  they 
clear  away  the  snow,  wake  the  traveler,  and  by  their  deep 
sonorous  bark  call  the  monks  to  the  spot,  bringing  relief. 
One  of  these  noble  dogs  won  a  European  reputation,  and 
wore  a  medal  about  his  neck  as  a  token  of  distinction,  for 
he  had  saved  the  lives  of  forty  persons. 

3.  The  Scotch  collie,  or  shepherd-dog,  retains  more  of 
the  form  and  appearance  of  the  wolf  than  any  other  spe- 


TRAINED  AND  FAITHFUL  SERVANTS.  4-1 

cies.  In  other  breeds  of  dogs  the  better  traits  have  been 
found  to  fade  and  degenerate ;  but  the  excellence  of  the 
collie  has  been  so  perfectly  maintained  as  to  justify  the 
opinion  that  he  is  the  most  perfect  of  the  domestic  spe- 
cies. James  Hogg,  a  Scottish  shepherd  and  poet,  called 
the  Ettrick  Shepherd,  says : 

4.  "Well  may  the  shepherd  feel  an  interest  in  his 
dog.     He  it  is  indeed  that  earns  the  family's  bread,  of 
which  he  is  himself  content  with  the  smallest  morsel,  al- 
ways grateful  and  always  ready  to  exert  his  utmost  abili- 
ties in  his  master's  interest.     Neither  hunger,  fatigue,  nor 
the  worst  of  treatment  will  drive  him  from  his  side.     He 
will  follow  him  through  every  hardship  without  murmur- 
ing or  repining,  till  he  literally  falls  down  dead  at  his  feet." 

5.  In  tending,  driving,  and  guarding  sheep,  the  shep- 
herd-dog discovers  an  intelligence  almost  human.     He 
obeys  the  verbal  orders  of  his  master,  and  his  acquaint- 
ance with  the  individuals  of  a  large  flock  is  truly  wonder- 
ful.    Of  his  faithfulness  Scottish  writers  have  recorded 
numerous  instances.     Says  one :  "  A  shepherd  in  one  of 
our  northern  counties  had  driven  part  of  his  flock  to  a 
neighboring  fair,  leaving  his  dog  to  watch  the  remainder 
during  that  day  and  the  next  night,  expecting  to  see  them 
the  following  morning. 

6.  "Unfortunately,  however,  the   shepherd  when  at 
the  fair  forgot  his  dog  and  his  sheep,  and  did  not  reach 
home  till  the  morning  of  the  third  day.     His  first  inquiry 
was  whether  the  dog  had  been  seen.     The  answer  was 
i  No.'     <  Then,'  replied  the  shepherd  with  a  tone  and  gest- 
ure of  anguish,  c  he  must  be  dead,  for  I  know  he  is  too 
faithful  to  desert  his  charge.'     Instantly  he  repaired  to 
the  heath,  when  he  found  the  dog  just  able  to  crawl.   The 
poor  creature  crouched  to  his  feet  with  an  expression  of 
joy,  and  almost  immediately  expired." 


12         NEIGHBORS   WITH  CLA  WS  AND  HOOFS. 

7.  The  greyhound,  the  fleetest  of  foot  among  all  dogs, 
was  a  great  favorite  among  the  ancient  Greeks.    His  grace- 
ful form  was  in  harmony  with  their  refined  sentiment  of 
beauty,  and  his  disposition  gave  him  a  place  in  the  house- 
hold and  at  the  family  table.     He  follows  his  game  by 
sight,  though  he  is  not  wanting  in  a  delicate  sense  of 
smell.     The  stag  or  deer  hound  is  the  largest  and  rough- 
est of  the  hound  species.     Both  his  scent  and  hearing  are 
remarkably  acute.     Sir  Walter  Scott  held  his  stag-hound 
Maida  with  a  fond  regard.     He  was  a  fine  specimen  of 
the  breed,  and  as  a  consequence  was  often  required  to 
stand  for  his  portrait.     This  was  a  keen  annoyance,  and, 
the  moment  he  saw  a  pencil  and  paper  produced,  he  ex- 
hibited intense  displeasure. 

8.  The  blood-hound  is  an  affectionate  friend  and  a  ter- 
rible enemy.     Robert  Bruce,  the  hero  King  of  Scotland, 
cherished  his  blood -hound  with  strong  affection,  and  the 
animal  was  never  happy  out  of  his  presence.     But  Bruce 
himself  was  followed  by  merciless  blood-hounds,  and  on 
one  occasion  only  escaped  death  from  their  blood-thirsty 
jaws  by  wading  up  a  brook  and  so  disappointing  their 
scent.     Sir  William  Wallace  was  saved  from  a  similar 
death  by  killing  a  tired  fugitive  who  accompanied  his 
band.     When  his  English  pursuers  came  upon  the  dead 
body,  their  hounds  refused  to  go  farther,  the  smell  of  blood 
overpowering  the  scent  of  human  tracks. 

9.  Here  is  what  John  Burroughs  says  of  the  hound : 
"  The  hound  is  a  most  interesting  dog.     How  solemn  and 
long-visaged  he  is !     How  peaceful   and  well  disposed ! 
He  is  the  Quaker  among  dogs.     All  the  viciousness  and 
currishness  seem  to  have  been  weeded  out  of  him ;  he  sel- 
dom quarrels,  or  fights  or  plays  like  other  dogs.     Two 
strange  hounds  meeting  for  the  first  time  behave  as  civilly 
toward  each  other  as  two  men.     I  know  a  hound  that  has 


TRAINED  AND  FAITHFUL  SERVANTS.  43 

an  ancient,  wrinkled,  human,  far-away  look  that  reminds 
one  of  the  bust  of  Homer  among  the  Elgin  marbles.  He 
looks  like  the  mountains  toward  which  his  heart  yearns  so 
much. 

10.  i(  The  hound  is  a  great  puzzle  to  the   farm-dog. 
The  latter,  attracted  by  his  baying,  comes  barking  and 
snarling  up  through  the  fields,  bent  on  picking  a  quarrel. 
He  intercepts  the  hound,  snubs  and  insults  and  annoys 
him  in  every  way  possible ;  but  the  hound  heeds  him  not. 
If  the  dog  attacks  him,  he  gets  away  as  best  he  can  and 
goes  on  with  the  trail.     The  cur  bristles  and  barks  and 
struts  about  for  a  while,  then  goes  back  to  the  house,  evi- 
dently thinking  the  hound  a  lunatic,  which  he  is  for  the 
time  being — a  monomaniac,  the  slave  and  victim  of  one 
idea. 

11.  "I  saw  the  master  of  a  hound  one  day  arrest  him 
in  full  course,  to  give  one  of  the  hunters  time  to  get  to  a 
certain  runway.      The  dog  cried  and  struggled  to  free 
himself,  and  would  listen  neither  to  threats  nor  caresses. 
Knowing  he  must  be  hungry,  I  offered  him  my  lunch ; 
but  he  would  not  touch  it.     I  put  it  in  his  mouth ;  but 
he  threw  it  contemptuously  from  him.     We  coaxed  and 
petted  and  reassured  him  ;  but  he  was  under  a  spell.     He 
was  bereft  of  all  thought  or  desire  but  the  one  passion  to 
pursue  that  trail." 

12.  Of  the  race  of  hounds,  the  sleek,  smooth  pointer, 
and  the  silken-haired  setter,  derived,  it  is  thought,  from 
the  pointer  and  the  English  spaniel,  are  the  favorites  and 
pets  of  sportsmen.     They  are  the  hunters  of  ground-birds. 
Their  scent  of  the  peculiar  odor  which  these  feathered 
fugitives  leave  behind  them  is  remarkable ;  but  the  way  in 
which,  when  they  come  upon  the  game  sitting,  and  point 
it,  with  the  fore-foot  raised,  as  if  holding  it  by  the  in- 
fluence of  some  charm,  is  something  wonderful.     And 


44         NEIGHBORS   WITH  CLAWS  AND  HOOFS. 

this  tendency  to  stand  over  game  is  an  inheritance  which 
is  supposed  to  have  descended  from  the  time  of  the  ancient 
Phoenicians,  and  is  so  confirmed  that  the  puppy  will  take 
to  pointing  without  any  further  training  than  what  is  neces- 
sary to  subdue  the  excess  of  its  spirits. 


13.  In  the  frigid  regions  of  Asia,  Europe,  and  America, 
where  the  sunbeams  are  too  feeble  to  contend  with  nightly 
frost  and  deep  snow,  there  the  dog  and  the  reindeer  per- 
form the  duties  of  the  horse.  The  Arctic  horse  of  Amer- 
ica is  the  Esquimau  dog.  "  In  this  desolate  region  dogs 
render  invaluable  service,  not  only  by  drawing  sledges, 
thus  transferring  persons  from  place  to  place,  otherwise 
inaccessible,  but  enabling  them  to  convey  to  their  dwell- 


TRAINED  AND   FAITHFUL  SERVANTS. 


45 


ings  the  fish  and  other  animals  on  which  their  subsistence 
depends. 

14.  "  Horses  could  not  be  made  a  substitute  for  dogs  in 
such  countries  as  these ;  the  severity  of  the  climate  and 
the  shortness  of  the  summer  render  the  provision  of  fodder 
impossible ;    the   dog   alone  is  adapted  to  such  circum- 
stances, for  he  can  live  where  other  animals  would  perish, 
and  move  quickly  over  the  deep  snow  in  which  those 
heavier  than  himself  would  sink.     These  dogs  strongly 
resemble      the     wolf. 

They  have  long,  point- 
ed, projecting  noses, 
sharp  and  upright  ears, 
and  long,  bushy  tails ; 
some  have  smooth, 
while  others  have  cur- 
ly hair. 

15.  "They  pass  the 
whole  time  in  the  open 
air.      In   winter  they 
protect  themselves  by 
burrowing  in  the  snow; 
in    summer    they   dig 
holes  in  the  ground  for 
coolness.     Their  feed- 
ing and  training  form  a  particular  art,  and  much  skill  is 
required  in  driving  and  guiding  them.     The  best-trained 
dogs  are  used  as  leaders;   and  as  the  quick  and  steady 
going  of  the  team,  usually  of  twelve  dogs,  and  the  safety 
of  the  traveler,  depend  on  the  sagacity  of  the  leaders,  no 
pains  are  spared  so  that  those  intended  to  go  first  may 
always  obey  their  master's  voice,  and  not  be  tempted  from 
their  course  by  the  scent  of  game." 


Esquimau  Life. 


46         NEIGHBORS    WITH  CLAWS  AND  HOOFS. 
CHAPTER   VII. 

fl 

"OUR    BELOVED    BROTHER    PRINCE." 

1.  THIS  brother  was  a  dog.     I  have  never  known  an 
instance,  except  the  one  here  described,  in  which  a  quad- 
ruped was  seriously  called  brother.     But,  when  you  think 
of  it,  there  is  nothing  very  wrong  in  the  use  of  this  term 
as  it  may  sometimes  be  applied.     The  pug  that  looks  out 
through  the  par! or- window,  and  sits  on  the  same  seat  with 
a  fashionable  lady  in  her  carriage,  or  is  carried  in  the 
arms  of  a  dude  in  the  park,  is  not  unworthy  to  be  called 
brother.     And   the   St.   Bernard   who    digs   in   Alpine 
snow  and  rescues  a  poor  freezing  traveler — is  riot  he  a 
brother  ? 

2.  It  is  brother  Prince  I  started  to  tell  about.     He  was 
a  finely-bred  Scotch  terrier,  and  belonged  to  the  Fire  De- 
partment of  St.  Louis.     Chief  Sexton,  who  has  been  at 
the  head  of  the  department  for  many  years,  is  a  brave  man 
and  has  brave  men  under  him.     The  chief  is  also  a  good 
man,  and  tender-hearted.     He  never  drinks  liquor,  and 
does  not  allow  his  men  to  drink.     Both  he  and  his  men 
thought  a  great  deal  of    Prince.      Indeed,  Prince   was 
worthy  of  their  esteem,  for  he  was  one  of  the  best  "  boys  " 
in  the  force. 

3.  For  some  time  he  ran  with  engine  No.  10.     When- 
ever the  alarm  struck,  he  jumped  from  his  bed  as  quickly 
as  if  he  were  charging  a  rat.     He  acted  the  part  of  a 
captain  or  general  manager.     About  the  horses,  when  they 
were  being  hitched  and  started,  he  ran  and  dodged,  with 
pattering  feet  and  much  uproar,  occasionally  taking  the 
dangerous  risk  of  biting  their  heels,  until  they  were  under 
full  speed,  when  he  would  fall  to  the  rear  of  the  engine, 
jump  on  the  platform,  and  ride  with  the  engineer.     The 


OUR  BELOVED  BROTHER  PRINCE." 


47 


men  never  called  him  brother,  but  they  treated  him  like 
a  brother. 

4.  After  a  while  Prince  went  to  live  with  the  chief. 
Here  he  became  still  more  human,  and  won  the  name — 
brother.  He  always  joined  the  engine  or  hose-cart  when 


he  knew  of  the  alarm ;  but  he  spent  the  most  of  his  time 
in  the  intelligent,  joyous  sports  of  the  children  in  the 
neighborhood.  He  had  a  soft,  shaggy  coat  of  hair,  and 
the  most  knowing,  playful,  roguish  pair  of  eyes. 


48         NEIGHBORS   WITH  CLA  WS  AND  HOOFS. 

5.  Prince  soon  became  an  expert  in  base-ball.     He  took 
his  regular  place  with  the  other  boys  in  the  game,  and 
was  obedient  to  the  rules.     He  was  great  on  "  short* stops." 
He  would  catch  a  ball  in  its  rapid  flight  through  the  air, 
and  before  it  reached  the  ground,  as  well  as  any  other 
boy.     Then  he  would  join  the  little  girls,  and  be  a  brother 
to  them,  in  their  games  of  u  hide-and-seek  "  or  u  hy-spy," 
as  they  call  it.     Seldom,  if  ever,  was  he  caught.     He  al- 
ways reached  the  goal  or  base  first. 

6.  But   sometimes — indeed,  often  for  the  fun  of  the 
thing — he  acted  as  substitute  for  some  unfortunate  little 
one,  and  became  "  it."     You  may  be  slow  to  believe  it, 
but  I  have  it  on  the  authority  of  the  chief's  daughter, 
who  knew  all  the  freaks  and  pranks  of  the  dog,  when  he 
stood  at  the  base  and  his  companions  were  seeking  hiding- 
places,  he  closed  one  eye,  but  held  the  other  wide  open, 
and  kept  perfectly  still,  waiting  for  the  word  "ready." 
Then  he  bounced  and  pranced  in  all  directions,  as  though 
there  was  the  smell  of  rats  in  the  air,  until  he  had  disclosed 
the  last  hiding-place — himself  always  reaching  the  base 
first. 

7.  But  little  Prince,  like  his  playmates,  was  mortal, 
and  came  to  a  tragic  death.     On  the  10th  of  August,  1883, 
about  six  o'clock  in  the  evening,  the  alarm  sounded  at  the 
chiefs  house,  and  Prince  bounded  to  the  pavement.     A 
hose-carriage  whirled  around  the  corner,  and  he  ran  to 
jump  on  it.     The  horses  were  strangers  to  this  little  fire- 
man, and  one  of   them  kicked  him  on  the  head.     The 
great-hearted  driver  put  on  his  break  and  stopped  the 
cart,  but  it  was  too  late.     The  soulless  wheel  had  passed 
over  his  body  and  he  was  dead. 

8.  The  hose-carriage  passed  on.     A  great   crowd  of 
neighbors — men,  women,  and  weeping  children — gathered 
to  the  scene.     "  Little  Prince  is  killed  ! "  shouted  the  ex- 


"OUR  BELOVED  BROTHER  PRINCE"  49 

cited  children,  and  in  a  few  minutes  the  whole  neighbor- 
hood was  on  the  pavement,  while  tender  little  hands  bore 
the  body  of  the  dead  hero  to  the  chiefs  house.  There 
were  no  games  in  that  neighborhood  on  the  llth  of 
August.  It  was  a  day  of  mourning.  Toward  sunset 
nearly  a  hundred  children  —  white  and  black  —  had  as 
sembled  to  bury  Prince.  In  the  back  yard  of  the  chief's 
residence  was  a  circular  bed  covered  with  flowers  of  many 
colors,  opening  their  worshipful  faces  to  heaven.  In  the 
middle  of  this  bed  a  grave  was  dug.  Into  a  neat  little 
coffin  the  royal  body  of  Prince  was  laid. 

9.  The  bearers  lowered   the   coffin  into  the  ground. 
The  grave  was  filled,  and  then  covered  with  bouquets  of 
various  devices  brought  by  the  hands  of  little  mourners 
bursting  with  grief.     There  was   a  pause  and  a   dead 
silence.     A  little  colored  boy,  nine  years  old,  stepped  to 
the  head  of  the  grave,  while  all  the  boys  uncovered  their 
heads,  and,  with  choking  voice,  made  this  simple  address 
and  prayer:    "My  beloved  brothers  and  sisters,  we  are 
called  to  de  fun'ral  of  our  beloved  brother  Prince."     Then 
he  dropped  upon  his  knees  and  said :    "  O  Lo'd,  our  be- 
loved brother  Prince  was  killed  last  night  by  de  hose-cart, 
dat  run  plum  ovah  him.    O  Lo'd,  we  will  nevah  play  with 
him  no  mo'.     O  brothers  and  sisters,  we  will  meet  him 
in  heaven.     O  Lo'd,  save  his  little  soul,  shore." 

10.  A  little  boy  four  years  old  said,  "  Amen !  "    There 
was  not  a  dry  eye,  and  many  children  sobbed  aloud.     They 
sang  a  familiar  Sunday-school  hymn,  and  silently,  solemnly 
parted.     A   strange  brotherhood ! — children,  white   and 
black,  and  a  dead  dog.     But — 

"  One  touch  of  nature  makes  the  whole  world  kin." 


50 


NEIGHBORS    WITH  CLAWS  AND  HOOFS. 


CHAPTER    VIII. 
SAVAGE    DOGS    OF    FOREST    AND    PLAIN. 

1 .  THE  story  of  Little  Red  Riding  Hood  has  made  the 
wolf  a  familiar  name.  Rarely  if  ever  are  wolves  seen  by 
people  in  the  old  settled  communities  of  America,  and  we 
depend  for  our  knowledge  of  them  upon  the  narratives  of 


The  Wolf. 

the  early  settlers  and  woodsmen,  about  whose  cabins  at 
night  the  howl  of  the  prowling  wolf  was  not  uncommon. 
The  wolf  belongs  to  the  dog  family,  and  in  structure  is 
precisely  like  the  dog.  The  American  wolf  is  gray,  with 
long,  coarse  hair,  bushy  tail,  and  is  from  three  to  four  feet 
long.  The  European  wolf  is  more  tawny  in  color,  but  in 
other  respects  is  not  essentially  different. 

2.  Closely  allied  to  the  wolf  is  the  jackal,  who  inhabits 
the  wilds  of  Asia  and  Africa.  He  is  between  the  wolf 
and  the  fox  in  size,  and,  when  tamed,  shows  more  of  the 
disposition  of  the  domestic  dog.  Hence,  some  have  sup- 


SAVAGE  DOGS  OF  FOREST  AND  PLAIN.        51 


posed  the  jackal  to  be  the  original  parent  of  the  dog.  On 
our  far  Western  plains,  and  about  the  Rocky  Mountains, 
abounds  the  prairie-wolf,  or  coyote,  about  the  size  of  the 
jackal.  He  is  timid  and  harmless  to  man,  though  he  loves 
to  prowl  about  the  settlement  and  camp,  and  act  the  part 
of  a  sly  thief.  The  wolf  has  a  more  continuous  howl, 
but  the  coyote  is 
known  by  a  snap- 
ping bark ;  and  the 
noise  of  a  single 
individual  sounds 
to  the  stranger  like 
the  barking  of  a 
numerous  pack. 

3.  "  In     those 
plains    of    Siberia 
that  are  infested  by 
wolves,    a    sledge- 
journey  is  far  from  agreeable,  for  frequently  a  band  of 
these  ferocious  brutes  persistently  follow  travelers.      If 
the  sledge  stops  for  only  a  second,  the  men  and  horses  are 
lost ;  safety  exists  only  in  flight.     The  struggle  on  such 
occasions  is  fearful.     The  horses,  mad  with  terror,  seem 
to  have  wings.     The  wolves  follow  on  their  track,  their 
eyes  flashing  with  fire.     It  is  a  terrible  situation  to  be 
placed  in,  to  behold  these  black  specters  tearing  across  the 
surface  of  the  white  shroud  of  snow,  thirsting  for  blood. 
From  time  to  time  a  report  is  heard-^a  wolf  falls. 

4.  "  More  audacious  than  the  others,  the  victim  had 
tried  to  climb  the  sledge,  and  one  of  the  travelers  had  shot 
it.     This  incident  gives  some  advantage  to  the  fugitives  ; 
for  the  carnivorous  troop  halt  for  a  few  seconds  to  devour 
the  body  of  their  companion.     But  the  end  is  nigh ;  the 
village  or  castle  appears  against  the  gray  sky,  and  the 


The  Coyote. 


52         NEIGHBORS   WITH  CLAWS  AND  HOOFS. 

wolves  are  deprived  of  their  anticipated  prey.  At  other 
times  the  adventure  terminates  in  a  tragical  manner.  Aft- 
er the  pursuit  of  some  hours,  the  team,  exhausted  and  in- 
capable of  proceeding  farther,  is  overtaken  ;  the  sledge  is 
surrounded  and  carried  by  assault ;  the  rest  may  be  imag- 
ined ! " 

5.  "  In  1739,  Israel  Putnam,  who  afterward  became 
so  well  known  as  General  Putnam,  of  the  Revolutionary 
War,  began  life  as  a  farmer  in  the  town  of  Pomfret,  Con- 
necticut, forty  miles  east  of  Hartford.     That  part  of  the 
State  was  then  quite  wild,  and  the  wolves  were  so  trouble- 
some that  they  killed  seventy  of  his  sheep  in  one  night. 
The  mischief  was  all  done  by  one  old   she-wolf  and  her 
cubs,  who  had  lived  in  the  woods  near  there  for  several 
years.     The  hunters  killed  the  cubs,  but  the  old  one  was 
too  wary  to  be  caught.     She  was  at  last  driven  by  blood- 
hounds into  a  den  about  three  miles  from  Putnam's  house. 

6.  "  The  hunters  tried  to  smoke  her  out  by  burning 
straw  and  brimstone  in  the  mouth  of  the  cave,  but  the 
wolf  would  not  come  out,  and  Putnam,  tired  of  waiting 
any  longer,  for  it  was  then  ten  o'clock  at  night,  took  a 
blazing  torch  in  his  hand  and  went  down  the  hole,  which 
was  only  high  enough  for  him  to  crawl  on  his  hands  and 
knees.     He  had  a  rope  tied  round  his  legs,  and  told  his 
friends  to  pull  him  up  when  he  gave  the  signal. 

7.  "  He  crawled  along  more  than  thirty  feet  without 
seeing  anything ;  but  all  at  once  he  saw  at  the  end  of  the 
cave  the  glaring  eyeballs  of  the  wolf.     She  gnashed  her 
teeth  and  gave  a  sudden  growl,  and  his  friends,  who  heard 
it,  pulled  him  out  so  quickly  that  his  shirt  was  torn  to 
strips  and  his  skin  badly  cut. 

8.  "  He  then  loaded  his  gun  with  buck-shot,  and,  tak- 
ing it  in  one  hand  and  a  torch  in  the  other,  went  down 
again.    As  soon  as  he  came  near  the  wolf  she  growled  and 


SAVAGE  DOGS  OF  FOREST  AND  PLAIN.        53 

made  ready  to  spring  on  him,  but  he  shot  her  quickly  in 
the  head,  and  was  hauled  out  again,  nearly  deaf  with  the 
noise,  and  choked  with  the  smoke.  After  the  smoke  had 
cleared  away,  he  crawled  down  a  third  time,  took  the  dead 
wolf  by  the  ears,  and  the  two  were  pulled  out  by  the  peo- 
ple above  with  much  joy. 

9.  "  When  the  wolves  get  into  the  habit  of  visiting  a 
particular  neighborhood,  they  continue  the  practice  for 
several  nights  almost  consecutively,  and  the  farmers  there 
become  very  vigilant,  getting  all  animals  safely  housed 
before  dark.    The  wolf  comes  into  the  farm-yard,  and  the 
creatures  in  the  buildings  know  that  he  is  there,  and  pass 
wakeful  and  anxious  hours.     One  night  in  winter,  when 
there  were  wolves  about  the  farm  I  live  on,  I  went,  about 
midnight,  to  the  stable,  and,  just  on  coming  out,  I  met  a 
fine  wolf  face  to  face.     We  were  not  more  than  six  or 
eight  feet  from  each  other,  and  both  rather  taken  by  sur- 
prise.    I  had  no  weapon,  but  remembered  the  tradition 
that  you  must  never  turn  your  back  upon  a  wolf,  so  I 
stood  still  and  asked  him  what  he  wanted. 

10.  "  The  sound  of  a  human  voice  seems  to  have  af- 
fected the  wolf's  mind,  for  he  turned  round  and  slinked 
away  into  the  dark  shades  of  a  neighboring  wood.     The 
morning  after,  I  learned  that  he  had  killed  a  goat  on  the 
next  farm.     I  exactly  remember  what  passed  in  my  mind 
during  our  brief  meeting :  '  That's  a  large  dog  ;  no,  it  is  not 
a  dog,  it  is  something  else  ;  what  else  ? — wolf — no  weapon 
— must  keep  my  face  to  him.'     Then,  aloud,  <  Well,  sir, 
what  do  you  want  here  ? '     On  which  he  looked  stead- 
fastly at  me  for  a  second  or  two  without  stirring,  then 
made  a  rapid  right-about-face,  and  cantered  woodward  in 
perfect  silence." 


54         NEIGHBORS   WITH  CLA  WS  AND  HOOFS, 

COYOTE. 

1.  Blown  out  of  the  prairie  in  twilight  and  dew,* 
Half  bold  and  half  timid,  yet  lazy  all  through ; 
Loath  even  to  leave,  and  yet  fearful  to  stay, 
He  limps  in  the  clearing,  an  outcast  in  gray. 

2.  A  shade  on  the  stubble,  a  ghost  on  the  wall, 
Now  leaping,  now  limping,  now  risking  a  fall, 
Lop-eared,  and  large- join  ted,  but  ever  alway 
A  thoroughly  vagabond  outcast  in  gray. 

3.  Here,  Carlo,  old  fellow — lie's  one  of  your  kind — 
Go,  seek  him,  and  bring  him  in  out  of  the  wind. 
What !  snarling,  my  Carlo  ?     So — even  dogs  may 
Deny  their  own  kin  in  the  outcast  in  gray. 

4.  Well,  take  what  you  will — though  it  be  on  the  slyr 
Marauding  or  begging — I  shall  not  ask  why  ; 
But  will  call  it  a  dole,  just  to  help  on  his  way 

A  four-footed  friar  in  orders  of  gray  ! 

Bret  Harte. 


CHAPTER    IX. 

SLY-BOOTS. 

1.  THE  shower  is  passing,  the  woods  are  shaking  the 
warm  rain-drops  from  their  summits,  and  from  the  heath 
a  refreshing  and  spicy  fragrance  rises  through  the  evening 
air.  In  every  retreat  feet  and  wings  are  on  the  move. 
The  gnats  begin  their  dance,  the  ants  creep  forth  to  repair 
their  flooded  highway,  the  chaffinch  is  warbling  from  the 
top  of  the  beech-tree,  the  hare  is  at  her  play,  and  the  Fox 
begins  to  feel  his  nature  stir  within  him. 


SLY-BOOTS. 


55 


56         NEIGHBORS   WiTH  CLAWS  AND  HOOFS. 

2.  He  is  on  the  watch,  yonder,  between  the  roots  of 
an  old  oak;  he  scents  something.     There  is  nothing  to 
fear.     All  Nature,  drunken  with  the  influence  of  spring, 
is  reveling  in  the  balmy  air.     With  a  single  bound  Rey- 
nard is  at  the  threshold.    Now  you  can  see  him  distinctly. 
How  he  stands  there !     With  what  a  high-bred  air,  and 
how  conscious  of  his  own  importance !     You  see  at  a 
glance  that  noble  blood  rolls  in  his  veins.     He  has  an  air 
about  him  at  once  of  dignity  and  daring.     With  such  a 
character,  it  is  worth  while  to  observe  both  him  and  his 
dress  somewhat  closely. 

3.  His  forehead  is  low,  the  skin  tightly  drawn  over 
it,  craft  lurking  in  its  very  smoothness.     The  ear,  sharply 
pointed  at  the  extremity,  widens  at  the  base  to  catch  every 
passing  sound.    It  is  made  for  obtaining  the  faintest  trace 
of  the  prey  sleeping  in  the  trees  above;  the  slightest 
noise — the  trembling  of  a  leaf,  the  quiver  of  a  dreaming 
bird — falls  into  the  listening  aperture  ;  nothing  escapes 
him.    And  then  the  nose !     How  much  malice  and  grace, 
how  much  spirit,  lies  in  that  fine  long,  stretched-out,  sup- 
ple point !      Does  it  not  seem  as  if  a  thousand  invisible 
feelers  issued  thence,  and  that  here,  as  its  central  point, 
is  the  very  soul  of  all  this  contriving  and  treachery  ? 

4.  But  the  most  interesting  face  is  nothing  if  we  for- 
get the  eyes.     It  is  true,  the  fox's  eye  can  not  be  termed 
beautiful.     You  recognize  in  it,  at  once,  the  mighty  in- 
stinct of  prey :  its  color  plays  between  a  gray  and  green ; 
it  lies  askant,  half  hidden  in  the  cavity,  and  by  day  drawn 
together  into  a  mere  perpendicular  chink.     Now  it  is  low- 
ered in  humble  resignation,  or  it  gazes  around  in  simplici- 
ty and  innocence ;  now  a  derisive  smile  plays  about  the 
lids,  and  then  again  a  look  is  darted  forth,  keen  and  ven- 
omous, as  though  you  had  been  struck  suddenly  by  the 
fangs  of  a  viper. 


SLY-BOOTS.  57 

5.  All  the  other  parts  of  the  body  are  in  harmony 
with  the  face.     The  month  stretches  wide,  for  the  fox 
kills  its  prey ;  a  spare  beard  is  ranged  around  the  upper 
lip,  in  long,  receding  points ;  those  lips,  too,  are  finely  cut 
and  closed ;  they  indicate  energy  and  self-command.    But, 
if  they  move  apart,  the  sharp,  white  teeth  glisten  fiercely  ; 
or,  gnashing  with  rage,  a  hoarse,  cough-like,  snapping  bark 
is  heard.      Swift  feet  carry  the  slender,  hanging  body, 
with  its  bushy  train,  almost  trackless  over  the  ground. 
On  his  breast  he  wears  a  delicate  white  shirt-front,  and  his 
fur  gleams  red  and  golden. 

6.  Thus  formed  and  clad  and  furnished,  the  cunning 
one  goes  creeping,  slinking,  and  winking  through  life ;  he 
wends  and  bends,  is  cautious,  persevering,  agile,  and  ever 
resolute ;  the  master  of  a  hundred  arts,  whom  one  can  not 
help  admiring  and  hating  in  the  same  breath. 

7.  But  to  return  to  our  fox,  still  leaning  against  his 
door-post.     Soon  two  or  three  young  foxes  make  their 
appearance ;  and  now,  as  the  mother  steps  out  of  her 
dwelling,  the  old  fox  departs  to  obtain  his  family  supplies. 
With  his  tail  dragging  after  him,  he  silently  creeps  through 
bush  and  field,  and  always  in  a  slanting  direction.     He 
soon  reaches  the  park  where  the  roe  grazes  undisturbed 
by  man.     He  creeps  along  ever  more  slowly  and  softly. 

8.  The  evening  breathes  coolly  from  every  stem  and 
leaf.      The  summits  of  the  trees  rise  motionless  in  the 
silence ;  the  throats  of  the  birds  alone  are  still  heard. 
The  thrush  is  warbling  in  clear  tones ;  the  titmouse,  chirp- 
ing its  pert  little  song,  passes  from  bush  to  bush ;  the 
carpenter  woodpecker  is  chopping  and  hammering  at  an 
old  oak-stump ;  the  jay's  noisy  screech  is  heard  now  and 
then,  with  a  strange,  jeering  flourish ;  and  when  again  all 
is  quite  still,  from  the  depths  of  the  green  solitude  there 
comes  the  mournful  cry  of  the  pewit. 


58         NEIGHBORS    WITH  CLAWS  AND  HOOFS. 

9.  Reynard  lias  reached  the  border  of  the  glade ;  he 
listens.     A  crackling  is  heard  among  the  branches  ;  a  low 
whistle  is  audible.     A  roe  steps  forth,  her  head  raised  on 
high,  and  her  eyes  turned  in  every  direction.     Another 
whistle,  and  with  graceful  bounds  the  fawn  is  at  its  moth- 
er's side.     With  droll  and  pretty  gambols  it  plays  around 
her.     The  mother  licks  its  neck  lovingly.     But  presently 
the  roe  lifts  her  head.     She  has  got  wind  of  the  robber. 
Her  eyes  sparkle,  and  she  makes  a  bound  or  two,  her  hoofs 
making  unpleasant  music  in  the  ears  that  rise  above  that 
hungry  mouth. 

10.  But  Reynard  does  not  lose  heart.     He  stands  still 
for  a  moment,  and  then  vanishes.    He  makes  a  wide  circle 
and  comes  around  on  the  other  side.     The  fawn  is  ever 
in  his  eye.      Now  he  is  within  convenient  distance,  he 
crouches   down   like   a   cat;   his   eyes   stare  with  fierce 
greediness;  he  shows  his  murderous  fangs;  and,  as  he 
gathers  himself  for  the  last  fatal  spring — a  bound,  and  the 
watchful  mother  rushes  on  the  robber  and  tramples  him 
with  her  feet.     The  fawn  is  saved.     Reynard  turns  home 
sore  and  lame,  and  burning  with  rage.    The  next  time,  we 
fear,  he  may  have  better  luck. 

11.  When  brown  autumn  comes  on,  then  is  the  golden 
time  for  the  fox.     A  ripening  calm  is  spread  over  the 
earth ;  the  ears  of  corn  hang  down,  heavy  and  yellow,  an 
endless  wood  of  fruit.     Hares  and  rabbits  are  crouched 
there ;  partridges,  quails,  and  larks ;  little  people  without 
arms  or  defense,  who  lead  a  harmless  and  industrious  life. 
Ah !  it  will  fare  ill  with  them  now.     He,  the  crafty  one, 
enters  the  field.     He  can  wait  and  bait,  can  cower  and 
devour,  and  knows  how,  with  guile  and  wile,  to  scare  and 
ensnare.     Their  little  arts  are  all  in  vain ;  and  his  cubs, 
as  they  grow  older,  get  fatter  and  bolder. 

12.  When  his  hunger  is  satisfied,  the  bee-hive  attracts 


SLY-BOOTS.  59 

him.  He  springs  up  and  laps  the  sweet  drops,  even 
though  the  whole  swarm  buzz  around  him  in  their  fury  •, 
he  laughs  at  their  sting,  and,  receiving  them  on  his  fur, 
rolls  himself  on  the  ground,  crushes  and  eats  them ;  so  at 
last  the  busy  workers  are  obliged  to  resign  to  him  the 
sweet  store,  and  desert  their  house  and  home.  Or  he 
steals  into  the  vineyard  to  taste  the  grapes,  if  not  too  high 
or  too  sour ;  or  he  lies  in  ambush  near  the  brook  to  go 
halves  with  the  heron  in  her  prey,  or  to  tickle  the  crayfish 
with  his  brush,  and  coax  him  out  of  his  watery  cave. 

13.  But  cold  winter  approaches.  The  migratory  birds 
are  off  to  the  land  of  the  sun.  The  few  of  the  feathered 
tribes  that  remain  roost  higli  on  the  trees.  He  looks  at 
them  wistfully,  but  makes  no  vain  attempt  to  disturb  their 
repose.  The  hare  sits  securely  in  his  form  in  the  distant 
field,  and  the  rabbit  lies  snug  in  his  chambers  under-ground. 
Now  the  farm-yard  allures,  and  happy  is  the  fox  if,  at 
night,  some  unguarded  hole  allows  him  to  enter  the  house 

|9MHHHHB«flHffiggg| 


l~he  Fox  in  Luck. 


where  hens  and  chickens  repose  in  fancied  security.     He 
discovers  his  prey,  and  makes  a  frantic  leap,  but  misses. 


60         NEIGHBOES   WITH  CLAWS  AND  HOOFS. 

He  gnashes  his  teeth,  leaps  up  again  and  again,  more  pas- 
sionate, more  greedy,  and  at  last,  with  a  mighty  bound, 
he  seizes  his  victim  and  darts  away  to  his  home  among 
the  rocks. 

14.  But  farm-yards  are  not  always  open,  and  the  keen 
demands  of  appetite  increase  from  day  to  day.     The  dis- 
tant bay  of  the  watch-dog  warns  him  away  from  the  vil- 
lage.    He  roams  through  the  woods  with  the  gloomiest 
thoughts.     On  a  sudden  he  raises  his  nose,  his  eyes  flash, 
a  sweet  savor  is  borne  gently  toward  him.     Ha !  what  is 
this  ?     Behold,  in  the  midst  of  the  hungry  wood,  a  de- 
licious morsel  of  roast  rabbit !     He  snatches  and  swallows 
it  in  an  instant.     His  vital  powers  are  renewed,  his  eyes 
grow  fresher,  and  with  senses  sharpened  he  trots  forward. 
And  verily  there  lies  a  second  morsel !     It  is  no  fancy ;  it 
is  of  the  same  savor,  the  same  flesh  and  bone.     Reynard 
pauses.     His  suspicions  are  aroused.     With  shy  steps  he 
creeps  around  the  spot,  again  pauses,  crouches  down,  list- 
ens.    There  is  not  a  sound,  save  the  grating  of  the  old 
fir-trees.      He  springs  forward,  and  the  second  piece  is 
swallowed. 

1 5.  Again  he  starts  onward,  licking  his  chops  over  the 
dainty  which  has  served  to  but  whet  his  appetite — and 
there,  full  before  him,  is  the  third  morsel.     The  smell  is 
cruel  to  the  poor  hungry  creature,  and  from  a  distance  he 
devours  the  bait  with  his  eyes.     But  this  time  he  is  more 
cautious.     He  moves  around  the  dainty  food  in  circles. 
Again  he  cowers,  lays  his  ears  forward,  backward,  pricks 
them  up,  and  makes  sure  that  it  is  safe  on  every  hand. 
Again  all  is  mute,  the  firs  alone  grate  on  in  a  surly  way. 
It  is  as  if  Nature  held  her  breath.    But  the  delicious  scent 
takes  full  possession  of  him.     He  must  approach.     With 
one  wild  bound  he  leaps,  when — crack ! — the  iron  jaws  of 
the  trap  clash  their  teeth  together.     He  howls  with  pain 


SLYER   THAN  A   FOX. 


61 


and  rage,  but  his  leg  is  held  fast.     But  death  is  in  delay. 
A  bold  deed  is  called  for. 

"  His  leg  is  caught  by  the  iron  grim ; 
To  save  his  life  he  yields  his  limb, 
And  off  he  gnaws  it,  though  great  the  smart; 
He  has  a  bold,  courageous  heart !  " 

Away  he  goes,  bounding  as  if  he  had  only  pulled  off 
a  boot,  and  he  is  a  wary  old  fox  as  long  as  he  lives. 

Masius. 


CHAPTER   X. 

SLYER  THAN    A   FOX. 


1.  FOX-HUNTING  is  a  popular  sport  in  the  Conhocton 
Valley,  Steuben  County,  New  York,  and  in  the  past  foxes 
seem  to  have  been  plenty.  The  most  successful  hunter  of 


The  Fox  at  Home, 


foxes  in  the  region  is  William  Kelsey,  of  Avoca.     When 
the  skins  of  foxes  commanded  a  high  price  in  the  market 


62          NEIGHBORS   WITH  CLA  WS  AND  HOOFS. 

a  few  years  ago,  these  animals  were  hunted  and  trapped  for 
profit,  and  hundreds  were  shipped  to  market  during  the 
months  in  which  the  fur  was  valuable.  Then  it  was  that 
Kelsey  distinguished  himself  by  daily  bringing  in  from 
three  to  ten  foxes,  while  other  famed  hunters  and  trap- 
pers frequently  returned  from  the  chase  empty-handed. 

2.  Kelsey  would  permit  no  one  to  hunt  in  his  company. 
or  go  with  him  when  setting  his  traps.     He  accumulated 
a  fair  fortune  by  his  success  in  getting  skins.    His  brother 
hunters  were  extremely  jealous  of  his  success.     Some  of 
them  believed  that  he  was  possessed  of  a  secret  by  which 
he  charmed  foxes  to  his  traps  and  within  range  and  reach 
of  his  gun. 

3.  u  There's  more  ways  than  one  to  get  the  best  of  a 
fox,''  said  Kelsey,  recently ;  "  you  want  to  be  observant  of 
their  nature,  in  the  first  place.     In  the  second  place,  you 
want  to  be  just  as  sly  and  cunning  as  they  are.     When  I 
used  to  hunt  foxes  for  profit,  I  don't  mind  saying  now,  I 
had  three  favorite  ways  of  killing  them.     When  I  was  a 
boy,  I  was  hunting  a  fox  with  a  hound.     During  the  chase 
the  hound  wrent  lame  in  one  of  his  legs.     He  was  a  blood- 
ed dog  and  full  of  game,  and  kept  right  on  after  the  fox  ; 
but  he  ran  slower,  of  course.     It  wasn't  long  before  I  no- 
ticed a  difference  in  that  fox's  running. 

4.  "  He  actually  seemed  to  take  delight  in  not  attempt- 
ing to  elude  the  dog  by  cunning,  but  in  keeping  just  far 
enough  ahead  to  be  in  sight  and  hearing  of  him,  as  if  to 
tantalize  him.     The  fox,  of  course,  intended,  after  having 
his  little  fun  with  the  lame  dog,  at  last  to  summon  his 
cunning  to  his  aid  and  get  out  of  the  way  to  a  place  of 
safety.     After  noticing  the  unmistakable  behavior  of  the 
fox,  it  wTas  easy  for  me  to  get  a  position  where  a  shot  at 
him  was  certain,  whereas  if  the  dog  had  been  able-bodied 
the  fox  would  have  been  twisting  and  turning  in  all  sorts 


SLYER   THAN  A   FOX.  63 

of  ways  miles  away,  and  at  last  probably  would  have  suc- 
ceeded in  getting  away.  I  tried  this  lame  hound  another 
day.  He  started  a  fox  which,  as  soon  as  he  saw  the  dog 
was  lame,  adopted  the  same  tactics  as  the  other  one  had. 

5.  "  That  settled  in  my  mind  that  if  a  fox  only  felt  cer- 
tain of  eventually  getting  a  safe  hiding-place,  being  chased 
by  a  hound  was  just  as  much  fun  for  him  as  it  was  for  the 
hunter,  and  he  would  enjoy  it  just  so  long  as  he  felt  in- 
clined to.     I  have  hunted  foxes  with  a  hound  disabled  in 
one  leg  ever  since,  and  never  found  one  fox  yet  that 
wouldn't  take  things  most  tantalizingly  easy  with  the  dog, 
and  never  failed  to  get  every  fox  I  started,  unless  my  gun 
went  back  on  me. 

6.  "  I  found  also  that  foxes  were  inordinately  fond 
of  field-mice.     There  were  some  places  where  field-mice 
were  quite  plenty,  but  as  a  general  thing  they  were  scarce. 
So  I  trapped  a  number  of  them  and  went  to  breeding 
them.     They  were  very  prolific,  and  I  soon  had  a  wide 
extent  of  country  stocked  with  mice.     I  selected  old  fields, 
on  the  edge  of  woods  or  brush-lots.     The  foxes  were  not 
long  in  finding  out  where  the  mice  were  thickest.     They 
generally  came  to  feed  on  them  just  between  sunset  and 
dark,  when  the  mice  were  out  in  force,  squeaking  and 
playing  about.     You  could  hear  them  squeak  about  the 
fields  plainly,  and  I  noticed  that  a  fox  would  enter  a  field 
and  listen  for  the  noise.     As  soon  as  he  heard  a  mouse 
squeak,  he  would  steal  up  as  a  fox  only  can,  and  that 
mouse  was  his. 

7.  "  Hidden  behind  a  convenient  bush,  it  was  no  trou- 
ble for  me  to  gather  in  sometimes  three  or  four  foxes  in 
an  evening.     Watching  the  foxes  in  the  fields  answering 
the  squeal  of  a  mouse,  I  concluded  I  could  improve  on  my 
plan  of  hunting.     I  made  a  whistle  that  I  could  blow  on 
and  exactly  imitate  the  noise  made  by  a  fiel 


UK      ' 

UNIVERSITY 


64:         NEIGHBORS   WITH  CLAWS  AND  HOOFS. 

this  I  could  call  a  fox  toward  me  if  the  mice  were  not 
near  me,  and  I  got  a  great  many  shots  that  I  otherwise 
would  not  have  had ;  and,  of  course,  every  time  I  had  a 
shot  it  meant  another  fox  added  to  my  list.  The  whistle 
not  only  drew  foxes  to  me  that  were  in  the  field,  but  it 
brought  them  into  the  field,  for  a  fox  can  hear  a  mouse's 
squeal  for  a  long  distance. 

8.  "I  used  to  have  great  sport  hunting  foxes  in  an- 
other way,  peculiarly  my  own.     My  observations  of  the 
habit  of  foxes  led  to  the  discovery  that,  early  in  the  fall 
and  winter  mornings,  they  sought  wood-lots  where  fire 
had  been  through,  and  where  many  charred  stumps  and 
trunks  of  trees  were  standing.     I  have  seen  as  many  as 
ten  foxes  in  a  group  in  a  lot  of  this  kind,  but  they  gener- 
ally were  seen  trotting  leisurely  along  among  the  black- 
ened stumps,  stopping  now  and  then  to  look  cautiously 
about.     I  never  could  find  out  why  foxes  sought  this 
place ;  but  I  never  failed  to  find  at  least  one  in  any  lot  I 
visited.     I  noticed  another  peculiarity  about  foxes  when 
I  studied  them  among  these  burned  trees.     A  fox  would 
trot  along  for  probably  ten  rods,  when  suddenly  he  would 
give  a  little  kick  or  twitch  with  one  hind-leg,  stop,  and 
invariably  turn  his  head  and  look  back  over  his  shoulder. 
I  observed  this  at  different  times  in  different  foxes,  and 
concluded  that  it  was  a  natural   characteristic   of    the 
species. 

9.  "  I  determined  to  make  this  little  piece  of  knowl- 
edge result  in  adding  to  my  list  of  successes  in  fox-hunt- 
ing.    Although  I  saw  so  many  foxes  in  burned  wood-lots, 
it  was  seldom  that  I  could  get  a  shot  at  any  of  them,  as 
they  were  so  cautious,  and  to  get  within  shooting  distance 
was  impossible.     The  shots  I  did  get  were  the  result  of 
accident,  a  fox  now  and  then  coming  toward  where  I  hid. 
So  I  hit  upon  a  plan  that  would  be  systematic,  and,  I 


SLYER  THAN  A  FOX.  65 

thought,  successful  in  capturing  foxes.  I  dressed  in  black 
clothes  from  head  to  foot,  and  blackened  my  face  and 
hands.  There  was  nothing  to  be  seen  about  me  but  black. 
When  I  took  my  position  one  morning  among  the  black- 
ened stumps  and  trunks  of  a  burned  wood-lot,  I  looked 
enough  like  them  to  deceive  the  sharpest  eye.  "With  my 
gun  ready  I  stood  motionless. 

10.  "  Presently  I  saw  a  fox  trotting  along  in  the  oppo- 
site direction,  and  I  started  after  it,  keeping  my  eyes  fast- 
ened upon  it.     When  I  saw  the  leg  twitch  I  became  mo- 
tionless.    When  the  fox  took  his  look  backward,  I  was  as 
good  a  burned  tree  as  there  was  in  the  lot.     The  fox  saw 
nothing  to  cause  him  any  fear,  and  on  he  went.     Before 
he  gave  the  warning  twitch  again  I  was  a  great  deal  closer 
to  him  than  I  was  before.    My  ruse  was  still  undiscovered 
by  him,  and  the  third  time  he  kicked  his  hind-leg  he 
never  looked  back,  for  I  was  within  easy  gun-shot  and 
saved  him  the  trouble.     My  new  style  of  hunting  foxes 
succeeded  so  well,  and  it  required  such  a  nice  eye  and 
such  careful  calculation,  that  it  became  my  favorite  sport 
and  afforded  me  a  great  deal  of  amusement. 

11.  "  As  to  trapping  foxes,  a  little  common  sense  used 
in  a  simple  manner  was  the  entire  secret  of  my  great  suc- 
cess.    It  was  the  usual  custom  in  setting  a  fox-trap  to 
place  the  bait  on  the  trap.     A  fox  is  always  suspicious. 
When  he  sees  a  piece  of  meat  or  a  dead  bird,  chicken,  or 
whatever  it  may  be,  lying  near  or  in  the  barn-yard,  or 
wherever  the  trap  may  be  set,  he  does  not  make  a  dash  for 
it  at  once*    He  feels  that  there  is  something  wrong ;  yet  his 
curiosity  and  his  desire  for  the  tempting  morsel  will  lead 
him  to  investigate  the  matter.     Many  and  many  a  sly  old 
fox  has  conquered  his  appetite  and  his  curiosity  on  close 
inspection  of  a  bait  of  this  kind,  and  placed  as  much  dis- 
tance as  he  could  between  himself  and  the  dangerous 


66         NEIGHBORS   WITH  CLAWS  AND  HOOFS. 

place ;  but  now  and  then  one  will  venture  to  seize  the  bait 
and  get  caught. 

12.  "A  fox's  manner  of  approaching  a  baited"  trap  is 
peculiar.  He  trots  around  in  circles,  beginning  with  large 
ones,  and  gradually  narrowing  them  until  he  reaches  the 
bait,  upon  which  he  keeps  constantly  his  suspicious  but 
greedy  eye.  After  watching  an  old  fox  approach  a  trap 
in  this  way,  and  get  near  enough  to  seize  the  bait,  and 
then  seeing  him  turn  and  get  away  from  the  spot  as  fast 
as  he  could,  I  concluded  that  I  knew  a  trick  worth  two  of 
his.  I  placed  my  bait  on  the  ground  and  set  my  trap, 
nicely  hidden  from  view,  several  feet  away.  When  the 
fox  came  and  began  his  circling  around,  with  his  eyes 
constantly  on  the  meat  he  coveted,  the  first  thing  he  knew 
he  stepped  on  the  hidden  trap,  and  he  was  no  longer  in- 
terested in  the  bait  that  tempted  him.  I  never  knew  this 
manner  of  setting  a  fox-trap  to  fail  in  capturing  the  fox  if 
one  came  to  inspect  the  bait  where  it  was  set." 


CHAPTER   XL 
PESTS   OF   THE    HOUSEHOLD. 

"  When  I  was  a  bachelor  I  lived  by  myself, 
And  all  the  bread  and  cheese  I  had  I  laid  upon  a  shelf; 
But  the  rats  and  the  mice  they  made  such  a  strife, 
I  was  forced  to  go  to  London  to  buy  me  a  wife." 

1.  So  we  learn  from  Mother  Goose  herself  that  even 
in  the  golden  age  of  childhood  the  bread  and  cheese 
suffered  from  nibbling  the  same  as  now,  and  that,  prob- 
ably as  now,  sleepers  in  the  night  then  were  disturbed 
by  gnawings  in  the  cupboard,  or  by  the  soft  pattering  of 


PESTS  OF  THE  HOUSEHOLD.  67 

nimble  little  feet  across  the  floor.  Indeed,  we  may  say 
that  houses  are  built  for  men  and  mice :  they  go  in  to- 
gether, they  live  together ;  and  not  until  the  last  human 
occupant  departs  do  the  gnawings  and  squeakings  cease. 

2.  The  rat  and  the  mouse  are  rodents,  animals  made 
for  gnawing,  and  gnaw  they  must.     The  nose  of  a  rat  is 
pointed,  and  in  the  front  part  of  each  jaw  are  two  chisel- 
like  teeth.     On  examining  them  we  find  that  the  inner 
part  is  of  an  ivory-like  substance,  which  is  easily  worn 
away,   while  the   outside    is    composed   of    a  glass-like 
enamel,    which   is    excessively    hard.     The  upper  teeth 
work  exactly  into  the  under,  in  the  act  of  gnawing,  so 
that  the  soft  part  is  continually  worn  aw^ay,  while  the  hard 
part  keeps  a  sharp,  chisel-like  edge.     At  the  same  time 
the  teeth  grow  up  from  the  bottom,  so  that  as  they  wear 
away  they  are  continually  renewed. 

3.  In  consequence  of  this  arrangement,  if  one  of  the 
teeth  be  removed  or  accidentally  broken,  the  opposite  tooth 
will  continue  to  grow,  until  it  will  project  from  the  mouth 
and  cease  to  be  of  any  use.     Rats  have  been  killed  with 
an  upper  tooth  grown  long   and   bent  into   a  complete 
circle,  or  with  an  under  tooth  piercing  the  skull  above. 
The  ceaseless  gnawings  are  thus  seen  to  be  a  necessity, 
for,  if  the  rat  did  not  gnaw  for  a  living,  he  would  be 
obliged  to  gnaw  to  prevent  his  teeth  from  growing  so  as 
to  fill  his  mouth  and  render  his  jaws  useless. 

4.  These   pests  of   the  household  live  in  the  hollow 
spaces  in  the  walls,  in  burrows  opening  from  the  cellar- 
bottoms,  in  drains,  and  in  all  sorts  of  out-of-the-way  holes 
and  crevices.     Wherever  there  is  a  place  for  a  rat  there 
is  a  rat  to  occupy  it.     Both  rats  and   mice  increase  with 
such  fearful  rapidity  that  if  they  were  not  kept  down 
they  would   soon  overrun  a  house  and  render  it  unin- 
habitable by  human  beings.     It  is  estimated  that  a  pair  of 


68 


NEIGHBORS    WITH  CLAWS  AND  HOOFS. 


rats  if  undisturbed  for  three  years  would  increase  to  more 
than  650,000 ! 


Eats  feeding. 

5.  Every  man's  hand  and  foot  is  against  a  rat :  little 
dogs  bark  at  the  sound  of  his  squeal,  little  boys  shout 
when  he  is  caught ;  little  girls  hold  him  in  fear  equal  to 
that  of  the  rattlesnake ;  and  young  ladies  climb  chairs  at 
mention  of  his  name.     Traps,  dogs,  cats,  ferrets,  poison, 
are  all  used  to  rid  the  world  of  him ;  and  yet  he  keeps 
his  place  in  the  household,  nibbles  the  rich  man's  cheese, 
the  farmer's  corn,  the  sailor's  biscuit,  forces  his  way  into 
palace  and  hovel,  and  shares  alike  the  rice  of  the  Hindoo 
and  the  winter  stores  of  the  Norwegian. 

6.  In  cities  the  rat  communities  vastly  outnumber  the 
human  population.      Their  streets  are  the  underground 
sewers,  and  through  these  they  pass  securely  from  one 
part  of  the  city  to  another.     From  them  they  enter  cellars 


PESTS  OF  THE  HOUSEHOLD.  69 

and  attics,  and  become  members  of  every  household. 
They  find  a  living  in  the  contents  of  the  sewers,  and  they 
feed  upon  the  garbage  which  is  left  in  neglected  corners. 
They  prefer  a  frugal  diet  where  there  is  no  fear  of  en- 
emies ;  but  when  driven  by  hunger  they  courageously  face 
great  danger  to  get  at  the  supplies  of  the  family.  "While 
destroying  much  that  is  valuable,  they  also  do  a  beneficent 
work  as  scavengers.  From  their  place  in  the  drains  they 
devour  every  morsel  of  concentrated  fever  and  cholera  as 
it  comes  down  to  them,  so  preserving  their  own  lives,  and 
saving  the  lives  of  little  children  playing  above. 

7.  Then  the  rat  is  one  of  the  most  cleanly  animals  in 
his  personal  habits.     No  matter  how  filthy  the  streets  he 
traverses,  no  matter  how  foul  the  air  he  breathes,  or  the 
food  he  eats,  he  allows  no  soil  upon  his  person.     When 
we  see  a  rat  at  rest,  he  is  always  cleaning  himself.     Frank 
Buckland  says,  "  Never  does  a  rat  finish  a  bit  of  food,  or 
is  touched  by  a  human  hand,  but  that  he  cleans  himself 
immediately  afterward." 

8.  In  London  and  Paris  rat-catching  is  a  regular  pro- 
fession.   The  rat-catchers,  with  lantern  and  bag,  enter  the 
larger  sewers  and  pursue  the  rats  into  some  blind  alley, 
and  then,  when  there  is  no  chance  for  escape,  they  are 
seized  and  bagged.     The  hand  of  the  rat-catcher  must  be 
protected  by  a  thick  leather  glove.     When  driven  to  bay, 
the  rats  will  make  a  ferocious  attack  upon  the  man,  when 
nothing  but  the  thickness  of  his  long  boots  will  preserve 
his  life. 

9.  In  country  places,  when  rats  congregate  in  great 
numbers,  they  become  an  intolerable  scourge.     Impelled 
by  hunger,  they  eat  the  crops  of  the  farmer,  and  when 
they  have  devoured  the  contents  of  one  barn  they  migrate 
to  another.     They  often  may  be  seen  pursuing  a  direct 
course  toward  the  mow  of  unthrashed  grains,  and  all 


70         NEIGHBORS   WITH  OLA  WS  AND  HOOFS. 

moving  together.  But  the  curious  thing  is,  how  do  they 
know  where  to  go  ?  Did  they  send  out  scouts,  or  does 
instinct  guide  them  ? 

10.  Bermuda  was  settled  in  1614.     With  the  first  set- 
tlers came  the  rats.     Two  years  later  they  had  increased 
at  such  a  rate  that  they  had  become  a  general  scourge. 
They  had  nests  in  every  tree,  and  they  burrowed  in  the 
ground    like   rabbits.      They   devoured  everything  that 
came  in  their  way,  fruits,  plants,  and  even  trees.     When 
corn  was  sown,  they  would  come  by  troops  in  the  night 
and  scratch  it  from  the  ground. 

11.  A  writer  of  the  time   says,  "  They  so   devoured 
the  fruits  of  the  earth  that  the  people  were  destitute  of 
bread  for  a  year  or  two."     Every  expedient  was  tried  to 
destroy  them.     Dogs  were   trained  to  hunt  them,  who 
would  kill  a  score  or  two  in  an  hour.     Cats,  both  wild 
and  tame,  were  employed  for  the  same  purpose.     Poisons 
were  employed,  and  every  man  was  enjoined  by  law  to 
set  twelve  traps.     Even  woods  were  set  on  fire  to  help 
exterminate  them.     "  Rats  are  a  great  judgment  of  God 
upon  us,"  wrote  a  colonist  in  1C  IT.     "At  last  it  pleased 
God,  by  what  means  it  is  not  well  known,  to  take  them 
away,  insomuch  that  the  wild  cats  and  many  dogs  that 
Jived  upon  them  famished." 

12.  A  telegraph  inspector  of  England  made  good  use 
of  a  rat  to  help  him  out  of  a  difficulty.     It  was  necessary 
to  overhaul  a  cable  of  wires  inclosed  in  iron  tubes.     A 
length  of  the  cable  had  been  taken  out  of  the  tube,  with- 
out the  precaution  of  attaching  a  wire  by  which  it  might 
be  drawn  back.     When  the  repairs  were  made,  the  ques- 
tion arose,  how  the  cable  could  be  again  drawn  into  the 
tube.     After  due  reflection  the  inspector  invoked  the  aid 
of  a  rat-catcher,  and,  provided  with  a  large  rat,  a  ferret, 
and  a  ball  of  string,  they  repaired  to  the  scene  of  action. 


PESTS   OF  THE  HOUSEHOLD.  71 

13.  The  "  flush  -  boxes  "  were   opened,  and   the  rat, 
with  an  end  of  the  string  attached  to  his  body,  was  put 
into  the  pipe.    He  scampered  away  at  a  racing  pace,  drag- 
ging the  twine  after  him,  until  he  reached  the  middle  of 
the  length  of  pipe,  and  there  stopped.     The  ferret  was 
then  put  in,  and  off  went  the  rat  again,  until  he  sprang 
clear  out  of  the  next  flush-box.     One  half  of  the  work 
was  done,  and  the  same  operation  was  commenced  with 
the  next  length  of  pipe,  but  the  rat  stopped  short  a  few 
yards  in  the  pipe,  and  boldly  awaited  the  approach  of  the 
ferret.    A  sharp  combat  began,  and  it  was  feared  that  one 
or  both  the  animals  would  die  in  the  pipe.     But,  after 
sundry  jerks  of  the  string,  the  combatants  separated ;  the 
ferret  returned  to  his  master,  and  the  rat  made  for  the 
extremity,  carrying  the  string  through  in  safety. 

14.  Rats  are  often  tamed,  and  make  pretty  household 
pets.     They  are  clean,  playful,  and,  when  well  fed,  harm- 
less.    In  Belgium,  not  long  since,  a  troop  of  rats  were 
trained  to  perform  a  play.    They  were  dressed  in  the  garb 
of  men  and  women,  walked  on  their  hind-legs,  and  went 
through  with  great  exactness  the  ordinary  stage  actions. 
On  one  point,  however,  they  were  like  the  cat  who  had 
been  changed  to  a  young  lady,  but  forgot  her  own  char- 
acter the  moment  a  mouse  appeared.    When,  in  the  course 
of  the  play,  food  was  introduced,  they  forgot  their  parts, 
the  audience,  and  the  manager,  and,  dropping  on  all-fours, 
they  fell  to  with  all  the  native  voracity  of  their  race. 
The  performance  concluded  by  their  hanging  in  triumph 
their  enemy  the  cat,  and  dancing  around  her  body. 

15.  Many  are  the  expedients  to  get  rid  of  rats.     Holes 
are  smeared  with  tar,  which  rats  can  not  abide.     Singed 
rats  are  set  at  liberty  and  sent  to  drive  away  the  others  by 
their  scent.     A  tiny  bell  is  placed  on  the  neck  of  a  rat, 
and  he  thereafter  in  vain  tries  to  associate  with  his  race ; 


72         NEIGHBORS    WITH  CLA  WS  AND   HOOFS. 

they  all  fly  at  his  approach.  A  farmer  rid  himself  of  rats 
by  the  following  simple  device  :  He  had  a  granary  rat- 
proof,  but  he  purposely  left  one  hole  where  rats  might  go 
in  and  out.  After  they  became  accustomed  to  the  route, 
great  numbers  would  congregate,  but  ran  out  of  the  hole 
the  moment  the  door  was  open.  Waiting  one  time  until 
the  army  of  rats  were  well  at  work,  he  slipped  a  bag  over 
the  hole  on  the  outside,  when  he  opened  the  door.  The 
rats  scampered,  as  usual,  and  were  all  bagged  at  once. 
In  the  "  Pied  Piper  of  Hamelin,"  we  have  another  novel 
way  of  rat-extermination,  together  with  a  rat-commentary 
upon  it : 

16.  "  Into  the  street  the  Piper  stept, 

Smiling  first  a  little  smile, 
As  if  he  knew  what  magic  slept 

In  his  quiet  pipe  the  while  ; 
Then,  like  a  musical  adept, 
To  blow  the  pipe  his  lips  he  wrinkled, 
And  green  and  blue  his  sharp  eyes  twinkled, 
Like  a  candle-flame  where  salt  is  sprinkled ; 
And  ere  three  shrill  notes  he  uttered, 
You  heard  as  if  an  army  muttered ; 
And  the  muttering  grew  to  a  grumbling  ; 
And  the  grumbling  grew  to  a  mighty  rumbling ; 
And  out  of  the  bouses  the  rats  came  tumbling — 
Great  rats,  small  rats,  lean  rats,  brawny  rats, 
Brown  rats,  black  rats,  gray  rats,  tawny  rats, 
Grave  old  plodders,  gay  young  friskers, 

Fathers,  mothers,  uncles,  cousins, 
Cocking  tails  and  pricking  whiskers, 

Families  by  tens  and  dozens ; 
Brothers,  sisters,  husbands,  wives — 
Followed  the  Piper  for  their  lives. 


PESTS   OF  THE  HOUSEHOLD.  73 

From  street  to  street  lie  piped  advancing, 
And  step  bj  step  they  followed  dancing, 
Until  they  came  to  the  river  Weser, 
Wherein  all  plunged  and  perished. 

17.  "  Save  one,  who,  stout  as  Julius  Caesar, 
Swam  across,  and  lived  to  carry 

(As  he  the  manuscript  he  cherished) 
To  Rat-land  home  his  commentary, 
Which  was,  '  At  the  first  shrill  notes  of  the  pipe, 
I  heard  a  sound  as  of  scraping  tripe, 
And  putting  apples  wondrous  ripe 
Into  a  cider-press's  gripe ; 
And  a  moving  away  of  pickle-tub  boards, 
And  a  leaving  ajar  of  conserve-cupboards, 
And  a  drawing  the  corks  of  train-oil  flasks, 
And  a  breaking  the  hoops  of  butter-casks ; 
And  it  seemed  as  if  a  voice 

(Sweeter  far  than  by  harp  or  by  psaltery- 
Is  breathed)  called  out :  '  O  rats,  rejoice ! 

The  world  has  grown  to  one  vast  dry-saltery ! 
So  munch  on,  crunch  on,  take  your  nuncheon, 
Breakfast,  supper,  dinner,  luncheon  ! ' 
And  just  as  a  bulky  sugar-puncheon, 
Already  staved,  like  a  great  sun,  shone 
Glorious ;  scarce  an  inch  before  me, 
Just  as  methought  it  said,  '  Come,  bore  me  ! ' 
— I  found  the  Weser  rolling  o'er  me  ! '  " 


71         NEIGHBORS   WITH  CLAWS  AND  HOOFS, 

CHAPTER  XII, 
THE    LEGEND   OF    BISHOP    HATTO. 

Near  Bingen  on  the  Rhine  is  an  old  tower,  known  as  the 
"  Rat-Tower "  of  Bishop  Hatto.  The  tower  is  shown  in  the  en- 
graving. It  is  said  to  be  more  than  a  thousand  years  old.  The  old 
German  legend  concerning  it  is  well  told  in  the  following  poem: 

1.  THE  summer  and  autumn  had  been  so  wet, 
That  in  winter  the  corn  was  growing  yet ; 
'Twas  a  piteous  sight  to  see,  all  around, 
The  grain  lie  rotting  on  the  ground. 

2.  Every  day  the  starving  poor 
Crowded  around  Bishop  Hatto's  door, 
For  he  had  a  plentiful  last-year's  store ; 
And  all  the  neighborhood  could  tell 
His  granaries  were  furnished  well. 

3.  At  last  Bishop  Hatto  appointed  a  day 
To  quiet  the  poor  without  delay ; 

He  bade  them  to  his  great  barn  repair, 

And  they  should  have  food  for  the  winter  there* 

4.  Rejoiced  such  tidings  good  to  hear, 

The  poor  folk  flocked  from  far  and  near ; 
The  great  barn  was  full  as  it  could  hold 
Of  women  and  children,  and  young  and  old, 

5.  Then  when  he  saw  it  could  hold  no  more, 
Bishop  Hatto  he  made  fast  the  door ; 
And  while  for  mercy  on  Christ  they  call, 
He  set  fire  to  the  barn  and  burnt  them  all. 

6.  u  I'  faith,  'tis  an  excellent  bonfire ! "  quoth  he, 
"  And  the  country  is  greatly  obliged  to  me? 


THE  LEGEND    OF  BISHOP  HATTO. 

For  ridding  it  in  these  times  forlorn 
Of  rats  that  only  consume  the  corn." 


75 


The  Hat- Tower  at  Bingen  on  the  Rhine. 

7.  So  then  to  his  palace  returned  he, 
And  he  sat  down  to  supper  merrily ; 

And  he  slept  that  night  like  an  innocent  man, 
But  Bishop  Hatto  never  slept  again. 

8,  In  the  morning,  as  he  entered  the  hall 
Where  his  picture  hung  against  the  wallp 


76         NEIGHBORS   WITH  CLAWS  AND  HOOFS. 

A  sweat  like  death  all  over  him  came, 
For  the  rats  had  eaten  it  out  of  the  f  ramec 

9.  As  he  looked,  there  came  a  man  from  his  farm ; 
He  had  a  countenance  white  with  alarm : 
"  My  lord,  I  opened  your  granaries  this  morn, 
And  the  rats  had  eaten  all  your  corn." 

10.  Another  came  running  presently, 
And  he  was  as  pale  as  pale  could  be — 
"  Fly  !  my  lord  bishop,  fly,"  quoth  he, 

"  Ten  thousand  rats  are  coming  this  way — 
The  Lord  forgive  you  for  yesterday !  " 

11.  "  I'll  go  to  my  tower  on  the  Rhine,"  replied  he5 
"  'Tis  the  safest  place  in  Germany ; 

The  walls  are  high,  and  the  shores  are  steep, 
And  the  stream  is  strong,  and  the  water  deep." 

12.  Bishop  Hatto  fearfully  hastened  away, 
And  he  crossed  the  Rhine  without  delay, 
And  reached  his  tower,  and  barred  with  care 
All  the  windows,  doors,  and  loop-holes  there. 

13.  He  laid  him  down  and  closed  his  eyes ; 
But  soon  a  scream  made  him  arise ; 
He  started,  and  saw  two  eyes  of  flame 

On  his  pillow,  from  whence  the  screaming  came 

14.  He  listened,  and  looked — it  was  only  the  cat, 
But  the  bishop  grew  more  fearful  for  that ; 
For  she  sat  screaming,  mad  with  fear 

At  the  army  of  rats  that  were  drawing  near. 

15.  For  they  have  swum  over  the  river  so  deep, 
And  they  have  climbed  the  shores  so  steep, 


NUT-CRACKERS  AND    WOOD-CUTTERS.          77 

And  up  the  tower  their  way  is  bent, 

To  do  the  work  for  which  they  were  sent. 

16.  They  are  not  to  be  told  by  the  dozen  or  score  ; 

By  thousands  they  come,  and  by  myriads,  and  more. 
Such  numbers  had  never  been  heard  of  before ; 
Such  a  judgment  had  never  been  witnessed  of  yore. 

17.  Down  on  his  knees  the  bishop  fell, 

And  faster  and  faster  his  beads  did  he  tell, 
As  louder  and  louder,  drawing  near, 
The  gnawing  of  their  teeth  he  could  hear. 

18.  And  in  at  the  windows,  and  in  at  the  door, 
And  through  the  walls,  helter-skelter  they  pour, 
And  down  from  the  ceiling,  and  up  through  the  floor, 
From  the  right  and  the  left,  from  behind  and  before, 
From  within  and  without,  from  above  and  below, 
And  all  at  once  to  the  bishop  they  go. 

19.  They  have  whetted  their  teeth  against  the  stones ; 
And  now  they  pick  the  bishop's  bones ; 

They  gnawed  the  flesh  from  every  limb, 
For  they  were  sent  to  do  judgment  on  him ! 

Robert  Southey. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 
NUT-CRACKERS   AND   WOOD-CUTTERS. 

"  The  mountain  and  the  squirrel 

Had  a  quarrel ; 
And  the  former  called  the  latter  '  Little  prig.' 

Bun  replied, 
1  You  are  doubtless  very  big  ; 


78         NEIGHBORS   WITH  CLAWS  AND  HOOFS. 

But  all  sorts  of  things  and  weather 

Must  be  taken  in  together, 

To  make  up  a  year 

And  a  sphere, 

And  I  think  it  no  disgrace 

To  occupy  my  place. 

If  I'm  not  so  large  as  you, 

You  are  not  so  small  as  I, 

And  not  half  so  spry. 

I'll  not  deny  you  make 

A  very  pretty  squirrel-track  ; 

Talents  differ ;  all  is  well  and  wisely  put ; 

If  I  can  not  carry  forests  on  my  back, 

Neither  can  you  crack  a  nut.' " 

1.  THE  rat  is  not  without  kindred  near  at  home.     Be- 
sides the  mice,  it  has  a  rodent  cousin  in  the  trees,  with  the 
same  bright  eyes,   gnawing  teeth,   and   quick  motions. 
This  is  the  squirrel,  that  makes  our  visits  to  the  groves  so 
delightful  by  his  gambols  and  chatterings.     The  squirrel, 
however,  does  his  work  of  gathering  corn  and  nuts  during 
the  day,  and,  like  an  honest  man,  sleeps  at  night  contented 
and  happy,  while  the  rat  is  prowling  about  pantry  and 
granary  to  plunder  and  destroy.     The  tail  of  the  rat  is  a 
hand  to  reach  into  a  jar  of  sweetmeats  and  draw  out  its 
contents,  and  a  staff  to  steady  himself  by,  while  the  tail 
of  a  squirrel  curled  over  his  back  is  an  umbrella  by  day 
and  a  blanket  at  night. 

2.  Squirrels  are  at  home  in  the  forest.     Their  agility 
is  extreme,  and  they  never  seem  to  rest.     If  seen  for  a 
moment  in  one  place,  like  a  flash  of  light  they  appear  to 
flit  to  another.     We  see  them  passing  incessantly  from 
branch  to  branch,  from  tree  to  tree,  or  again  they  jump 
to  the  ground  from  so  great  a  height  as  to  threaten  their 
destruction.     But  these  leaps  do  not  injure  them,  for  they 
continue  their  play  as  if  nothing  had   happened.     The 


NUT-CRACKERS  AND    WOOD-CUTTERS.          79 

broad,  bushy  tail  acts  as  a  wing,  and,  in  some  measure, 
supports  them  in  the  air,  breaking  the  force  of  their 
fall. 

3.  The   squirrel   lives   upon  nuts,  acorns,  corn,  and 
fruit.     The  pert  little  rascal  has  a  habit,  also,  of  robbing 
birds'  nests,  and  sucking  the  eggs  which  he  finds.     Some- 
times an  old  ( blackbird  catches  him   in  the  midst  of  his 
feast,  and  gives  him  a  drubbing  which  he  remembers 
until  his  hide  gets  well.    The  squirrel  builds  a  nice,  warm, 
dry  nest  of  moss  and  leaves,  among  the  branches,  or  in 
some  hollow  tree  or  log,  and  he  always  keeps  it  clean. 
Near  the  nest  he  lays  up  his  winter  store  of  nuts ;  and 
upon  pleasant  days  he  awakens  from  his  long  nap,  takes  a 
bite,  and  goes  to  sleep  again. 

4.  Squirrels  live  in  pairs.      The  nest  is  made  large 
enough  for  father,  mother,  and  three  or  four  young  ones. 
Sometimes  a  pair  build  three  or  four  nests  at  convenient 
distances  from  one  another.    Upon  the  appearance  of  dan- 
ger the  residence  is  changed.     In  the  morning  the  mother 
squirrel  takes  the  family  out  to  exercise,  but,  if  any  in- 
truder appears,  she  carries  them  off  with  great  rapidity  to 
one  of  her  other  homes.     Squirrels  are  among  the  pretti- 
est of  household  pets,  and  they  may  become  so  tame  as  to 
have  entire  liberty  to  go  and  come  as  they  please,  only  it 
is  difficult  to  keep  them  out  of  the  jaws  of  the  cat  and 
the  dog. 

5.  However,  this  is  not  always  the   case.      A  tiny 
squirrel  was  adopted  by  a  lady  in  a  Western  mining-camp, 
who  tells  the  following  story :  "  The  camp  already  con- 
tained, in  the  way  of  pets,  three  dogs,  two  cats,  a  fawn, 
and  a  hawk.     By  the  side  of  any  of  these  creatures  the 
poor  little  Ardea,  as  my  Mexican  woman  called  him,  was 
a  mere  pygmy.     His  great  delight  was  to  curl  himself  in 
a  ball  and  take  a  comfortable  nap  in  my  hand.     Should 


80         NEIGHBORS   WITH  CLAWS  AND  HOOFS. 

his  slumbers  be  disturbed  by  any  undue  movement,  I  was 
admonished  by  a  nip  of  his  sharp  little  teeth. 

6.  "  All  the  members  of  the  happy  family  were  taught 
to  respect  his  rights,  save  Peep,  the  hawk.     The  three 
dogs — Grouse,  the  setter ;  Roxy,  the  black-and-tan ;  and 
Prince,  the  bull-dog — eyed  the  new-comer  suspiciously, 
and  once  or  twice,  at  an  opportune  moment,  made  a  spring 
toward  him;  but  he  retreated  in  a  masterly  way  to  an 
inaccessible  corner,  and  the  dogs  were  taught  better  man- 
ners by  a  sharp  touch  of  my  riding-whip. 

7.  "  Yery  funny  were  the  little  creature's  encounters 
with  the  kittens.     He  kept  them  at  bay  by  turning  on  his 
back  and  fighting  with  tooth  and  claw  when  too  hard 
pressed.     Both  learned  to  respect  his  rights,  and  at  last  the 
three  became  great  friends.     Frequently  the  squirrel  was 
found  curled  up  asleep  between  his  two  former  enemies. 

8.  "  The  fawn,  our  most  dainty  pet,  with  his  beautiful 
soft  eyes,  and  his  gentle  ways,  who  also  was  called  by  his 
Spanish  name,  Venado,  was   adopted  by  Ardea,  as  his 
foster-mother,  and  he  found  great  comfort  in  tucking 
himself  away  in  the  soft  fur  of  the  fawn,  when  Yenado 
was  placidly  chewing  his  cud.     The  little  autocrat  did  not 
hesitate  to  assert  himself,  if  disturbed,  by  biting  the  fawn's 
nose,  who  soon  learned  to  accept  his  fate  with  quiet  en- 
durance. 

9.  "  Only  Peep  was  incorrigible.      He  watched  most 
eagerly  from  his  perch  outside  the  window,  and  almost 
twisted  his  head  from  his  body  when  Ardea  scampered 
about  on  the  dining-table,  daintily  picking  up  crumbs,  and 
sitting  up  in  the  quaintest  fashion,  with  a  piece  of  maca- 
roni, or  some  other  morsel,  in  his  paws.     When  exasper- 
ated beyond  bounds,  Peep  would  take  a  desperate  flight 
as  far  as  his  string  permitted,  and,  failing  to  make  a  capt- 
ure, return  discomfited  to  his  perch  on  the  railing. 


NUT-CRACKERS  AND    WOOD-CUTTERS.          81 

10.  "  One  morning  Ardea  was  missing,  and,  after  a  vain 
search  about  the  house,  a  hunt  in  all  his  favorite  nooks, 
we  were  almost  in  despair  of  finding  him.    Before  giving 
up  all  hope  we  walked  around  the  long  piazza,  and  at  the 
very  end  discovered  Peep,  in  jubilant  mood,  his  cord 
stretched  taut,  one  claw  thrust  out,  while  just  beyond  his 
reach  crouched  naughty  little  trembling  Ardea." 

11.  Another  rodent  common  to  our  woods  is  the  por- 
cupine, which  we  have  already  described.     In  Africa  and 
Asia  the  porcupine  is  about  the  same  size  as  ours,  but  has 
much  longer  quills.    It  lives  on  herbs  and  fruit,  and  comes 
out  at  night  to  seek  its  food.    When  attacked,  it  rolls  itself 
up  in  a  ball  and  thrusts  out  its  sharp  quills,  which  are 
from  eight  to  ten  inches  long.     While  in  this  position 
none  but  very  hungry  animals  care  to  attack  it.     It  is  said 
that  the  puma  has  a  curious  way  of  disposing  of  the 
American  porcupine.      He  seizes  it  by  the  head,  and 
making  a  slit  across  the. pate,  where  there  are  no  quills, 
he  gradually  draws  the  carcass  out  of  the  skin. 

12.  The  beaver,  one  of  the  larger  rodents,  is  among 
the  most  interesting  of  animals.     A  full  account  of  its 
appearance  and  habits  is  given  in  Book  I.     Beavers  live 
in  communities,  build  dams  across  streams  to  keep  the 
water  above  at  a  uniform  height,  and  in  the  pond  thus 
formed  they  build  houses,  with  upper  chambers  above 
the  water,  and  dry  for  their  nests.     The  entrance  to  the 
dwellings  is  always  under  the  water.     In  building  dams 
they  gnaw  off  large  trees,  cut  logs  of  proper  length,  and 
float  them  down  to  the  place  where  the  dam  is  to  be  con- 
structed.    When  the  skeleton  of  the  dam  is  completed,  it 
is  finished  by  plastering  the  crevices  with  mud.     The 
beaver  is  easily  tamed,  and  becomes  a  kind,  affectionate, 
and  clean  member  of  the  household,  and  the  only  trouble 
is  his  propensity  to  make  a  dam  across  the  corner  of  the 


82         NEIGHBORS   WITH  CLAWS  AND  HOOFS, 

drawing-room  with  the  coal-scuttle  and  chairs,  and  to  pro- 
vide other  material  for  the  purpose  by  gnawing  oft'  the 
legs  of  the  table. 

13.  Among  the  larger  rodents,  the  marmots  are  the 


The  Beaver. 

most  widely  distributed  and  the  best  known.  They  are 
larger  than  the  common  rabbit,  and  have  a  heavy  body 
and  short  legs,  armed  with  sharp  claws.  They  dig  bur- 
rows deep  in  the  earth,  each  of  which  has  several  entrances, 
so  that  in  case  of  invasion  they  can  escape.  Their  food 
consists  of  grass,  clover,  and  tender  herbage  of  various 
kinds.  The  European  marmot  has  his  home  high  up  in 
the  Alps,  or  in  the  cold  regions  of  the  North.  They  live  in 
communities,  and,  when  out  feeding,  they  put  sentinels  to 
give  warning  of  approaching  danger.  In  November  they 
fill  their  deep,  dry  burrows  with  hay,  close  the  entrance, 
and,  covering  themselves  snugly  in  bed,  they  go  to  sleep 
until  the  next  April. 


NUT-CRACKERS  AND    WOOD-CUTTERS.          83 

14.  The  American  marmot  is  known  generally  as  the 
woodchuck,  but  is  called  ground-hog  in  the  South  and 
West.  It  is  somewhat  larger  than  its  European  cousin, 
but  has  the  same  general  appearance  and  habits.  It  does 
not  live  in  so  large  communities,  but  usually  two  or  more 
are  found  together,  one  of  which  watches  while  the  others 
feed.  In  consequence  of  a  warmer  climate,  its  burrows 
are  less  deep  than  those  of  its  Alpine  kin,  and  its  winter 
nap  is  not  so  long. 

CUFF  AND  THE  WOODCHUCK, 

1.  I  knew  a  farmer  in  New   York  who  had  a  very 
large  bob-tailed  churn-dog,  by  the  name  of  Cuff.     The 
farmer  kept  a  large  dairy,  and  made  a  great  deal  of  but- 
ter ;  and  it  was  the  business  of  Cuff  to  spend  nearly  the 
half  of  each  summer  day  treading  the  endless  round  of 
the  churning-machine.     During  the  remainder  of  the  day 
he  had  plenty  of  time  to  sleep  and  rest,  and  sit  on  his 
hips,  and  survey  the  landscape. 

2.  One  day,  sitting  thus,  he  discovered  a  woodchuck 
about  forty  rods  from  the  house,  on  a  steep  hill-side,  feed- 
ing about  near  his  hole,  which  was  beneath  a  large  rock. 
The  old  dog,  forgetting  his  stiffness,  and  remembering 
the  fun  he  had  had  with  the  woodchucks  in  his  earlier 
days,  started  off  at  his  highest  speed,  vainly  hoping  to 
catch  this  one  before  he  could  get  to  his  hole.     But  the 
woodchuck,  seeing  the  dog  come  laboring  up  the  hill, 
sprang  to  the  mouth  of  his  den,  and,  when  his  pursuer 
was  only  a  few  rods  off,  whistled  tauntingly,  and  went  in. 

3.  This  occurred  several  times,  the  old  dog  marching 
up  the  hill,  and  then  marching  down  again,  having  had 
his  labor  for  his  pains.     I  suspect  that  he  revolved  the 
subject  in  his  mind,  while  he  revolved  the  great  wheel 
of  the  churning-machine,  and  that  some  turn  or  other 


84          NEIGHBORS   WITH  CLAWS  AND  HOOFS. 

brought  him  a  happy  thought,  for  next  time  he  showed 
himself  a  strategist.  Instead  of  giving  chase  to  the  wood- 
chuck,  when  first  discovered^  he  crouched  down  to  the 
ground,  and,  resting  his  head  on  his  paws,  watched  him. 
The  woodchuck  kept  working  away  from  his  hole,  lured 
by  the  tender  clover,  but,  not  unmindful  of  his  safety, 
lifted  himself  up  on  his  haunches  every  few  moments, 
and  surveyed  the  approaches. 

4.  Presently,  after  the  woodchuck  had  let  himself  down 
from  one  of  these  attitudes  of  observation,  and  resumed  his 
feeding,  Cuff  started  swiftly  but  stealthily  up  the   hill, 
precisely  in  the  attitude  of  a  cat  when  she  is  stalking  a  bird. 
When  the  woodchuck  rose  up  again,  Cuff  was  perfectly 
motionless,  and  half  hid  by  the  grass.     When  he  again 
resumed  his  clover,  Cuff  sped  up  the  hill  as  before,  this 
time  crossing  a  fence,  but  in  a  low  place,  and  so  nimbly 
that  he  was  not  discovered.     Again  the  woodchuck  was 
on  the  lookout,  again  Cuff  was  motionless  and  hugging 
the  ground.     As  the  dog  nears  his  victim  he  is  partially 
hidden  by  a  swell  in  the  earth,  but  still  the  woodchuck, 
from  his  outlook,  reports  "  All  right ! "  when  Cuff,  hav- 
ing not  twice  as  far  to  run  as  the  'chuck,  throws  all 
stealthiness  aside,  and  rushes  directly  for  the  hole.     At 
that  moment  the  woodchuck  discovers  his  danger,  and, 
seeing  that  it  is  a  race  for  life,  leaps  as  I  never  saw  mar 
mot  leap  before.     But  he  is  two  seconds  too  late  ;  his 
retreat  is  cut  off,  and  the  powerful  jaws  of  the  old  dog 
close  upon  him. 

5.  The  next  season  Cuff  tried  the  same  tactics  again 
with  like  success ;  but,  when  the  third  woodchuck  had 
taken  up  his  abode  at  the  fatal  hole,  the  old  churner's 
wits  and  strength  had  begun  to  fail  him,  and  he  was 
baffled  in  each  attempt  to  capture  the  animal. 


LONG  EARS  AftD   THEIR  KIN.  85 

CHAPTER    XIV. 
LONG    EARS   AND   THEIR    KIN.  * 

1.  ANOTHER  group  of  the  rodents  includes  the  rabbits 
and  the  hares.    Their  jaws  and  teeth  are  shaped  for  gnaw- 
ing, like  the  squirrel's,  but  their  food  consists  mainly  of 
tender  plants  and  the  bark  of  trees.     The  only  harm  they 
do  is  when  they  get  into  the  vegetable-garden  and  feast 
upon  the  cabbage  and  lettuce,  or  when,  in  winter,  they 
are  driven  by  hunger  to  gnaw  the  bark  from  young  fruit- 
trees. 

2.  Rabbits  live  in  communities,  and  have  their  homes 
in  burrows  which  they  dig  in  the  ground.     The  nests  are 
separate,  but  the  burrows  open  into  one  another,  and  a  rab- 
bit village,  or  "  warren,"  often  contains  hundreds  of  pas- 
sages, with  great  numbers  of  doors  opening  into  the  outer 
air.    A  rabbit  entering  any  one  of  these  doors  easily  finds 
his  way  to  his  own  nest. 

3.  Both  rabbits  and  hares  are  timid  animals,  and  they 
have  no  means  of  defense  against  their  enemies.     Their 
only  safety  is  in  flight.     To  enable  them  to  detect  the 
presence  of  a  foe,  they  are  furnished  with  large,  sensitive 
ears,  and  they  can  hear  the  least  cracking  of  a  twig  or  the 
faintest  rustle  of  a  blade  of  dry  grass.     The  silent  creep- 
ing of  a  weasel,  the  stealthy  tread  of  a  cat,  or  the  noiseless 
flight  of  the  owl  fail  to  make  an  impression  which  the 
large  ears  can  gather  in,  and  this  harmless  clover-nibbler 
falls  a  prey  to  these  savage  foes. 

4.  Rabbits  increase  with  great  rapidity.    It  is  estimated 
that,  if  unmolested,  a  single  pair  of  rabbits  in  four  years 
would  produce  1,250,000.    If  not  kept  down  by  cats,  dogs, 
weasels,  owls,  hawks,  and  foxes,  they  would  soon  overrun 
a  country.     Rabbits  were  introduced  into  New  Zealand, 


86         NEIGHBORS   WITH  CLAWS  AND  HOOFS, 

where  their  natural  enemies  did  not  exist.  They  multi- 
plied so  fast  that  they  threatened  to  devour  the  entire 
crops  of  the  country.  They  were  caught  in  traps  by  the 
thousand,  but  their  numbers  did  not  sensibly  diminish, 
until  multitudes  of  dogs,  cats,  and  ferrets,  wild  and  tame, 
were  let  loose  upon  them. 

5.  The  hare  does  not  live  in  communities  like  the  rab- 
bit, but  leads  a  solitary  life.    His  home  is  in  the  open  fields, 
away  from  bush,  copse,  or  hedge,  which  may  be  used  as  a 
possible  hiding-place  for  a  foe.     Here  he  sits,  with  his 
legs  folded  under  him,  and  the  grass  gradually  accommo- 
dates itself  to  the  shape  of  his  body,  making  his  "  form." 
In  winter  the  snow  covers  him  and  keeps  him  from  freez- 
ing.    Here,  away  as  far  as  possible  from  his  enemies,  he 
stays,  venturing  out  only  to  get  food,  and  keeping  his 
large  ears  wide  open  for  the  least  shadow  of  a  sound. 

6.  In  America  we  have  none  of  the  true  burrowing 
rabbits.     All  American  rabbits  are  really  hares,  living 
solitary  lives  and  having  homes  in  grassy  "  forms,"  or  in 
crevices  among  rocks  and  logs.     The  common  rabbit  is 
small,  gray,  timid,  and  wild.    It  is  never  tamed  and  made 
into  a  household  pet  like  its  European  cousin.     It  multi- 
plies rapidly,  but  it  is  caught  and  eaten  by  its  enemies 
with  equal  rapidity ;  so  it  just  about  holds  its  own. 

Y.  Dr.  Coues  says :  "  The  prairies  of  the  West  fur- 
nish several  species  of  hares  of  great  size,  with  very 
long  legs  and  extravagant  ears.  All  of  these  are  indis- 
criminately known,  in  the  vernacular  of  the  regions  they 
respectively  inhabit,  as  i  jack  -  rabbits,'  or  'jackass -rab- 
bits,' in  contradistinction  from  the  several  kinds  of  small- 
er, shorter  -  eared  and  shorter-legged  species  commonly 
called  'cotton-tails,'  or  '  sage  -  rabbits.'  The  Northern 
species  is  distinguished,  among  other  things,  by  having 
the  top  of  the  tail  white,  or  nearly  so,  like  its  under  sur- 


LONG  EARS  AND   THEIR  KIN.  87 

face.     It  also  turns  nearly  pure  white  in  winter,  as  the 
other  jack-rabbits  do  not. 

8.  "  In  noting  the  habitat  of  the  prairie  hare,  we  must 


The  Jack-Rabbit. 

exclude  all  wooded  regions  from  the  range.  Emphatically 
a  creature  of  the  plains,  it  probably  never  enters  timber, 
though  it  may  range  up  to  the  very  edge  of  the  woods, 
and  even  be  found  in  the  brush  along  the  river-bottoms. 
This  hare  is  not  gregarious,  but  roams  in  solitude  over  the 
broad,  rolling  prairie,  where  the  antelope  and  the  buffalo 
range.  As  we  measure  the  weary  miles  of  a  dav's  march, 


88         NEIGHBORS    WITH  CLAWS  AND  HOOFS, 

suddenly  the  great  jack  springs  from  under  our  feet  and 
goes  bounding  off  with  those  wonderful  leaps. 

9.  "  The  female  does  not  burrow,  as  most  prairie  mam- 
mals are  wont  to  do,  but  constructs  a  simple  "  form  "  in 
the  grass,  beneath  some  thick,  low  bush  or  tuft  of  weeds. 
The  young  are  agile  little  creatures,  even  when  only  a 
week  or  two  old,  and  hard  to  catch.     This  hare  is  little 
esteemed  by  most  persons,  either  for  its  flesh  or  its  fur, 
and  is  seldom  pursued ;  in  a  country  where  buffalo,  elk, 
deer,  and  antelope  abound,  the  pursuit  of  a  '  jack-rabbit ' 
is  considered  ridiculous.     The  Indians,  however,  eat  it,  as 
they  do  everything  else  that  they  can  chew  and  swallow, 
and  it  is  sometimes  netted  by  them  in  great  numbers, 
after  a  peculiar  fashion,  when  these  people  turn  out  by 
hundreds  for  the  battue. 

10.  "  The  extraordinary  agility  of  this  animal,  which 
would  be  inferred  from  inspection  of  its  lithe  yet  mus- 
cular and  free-limbed  shape,  has  always  excited  attention. 
The  early  travelers,  Lewis  and  Clarke,  speak  of  its  leap- 
ing some  eighteen  or  twenty  feet  at  one  bound,  and  think 
this  probably  no  exaggeration.     To  one  who  has  never 
seen  the  creatures  alive  it  is  difficult  to  give  an  idea  of  the 
extraordinary  spectacle  they  offer  when  running  at  full 
speed,  and  the  way  they  get  over  the  ground  is  wonder- 
ful, considering  how  much  force  is  expended  in  the  height 
of  the  leap. 

11.  "  The  first  sign  one  usually  has  of  a  jack,  which 
has  squatted  in  hopes  of  being  passed  unnoticed  till  its 
fears  forced  it  to  fly,  is  a  great  bound  into  the  air,  with 
straightened-out  body  and  erected  ears.     The  instant  the 
animal  touches  the  ground  again  it  is  up  in  the  air  for  the 
second  time,  with  a  peculiar  springy  jerk,  more  like  the 
bouncing  of  a  ball,  apparently,  than  the  result  of  muscu- 
lar motion.     It  scarcely  seems  to  fairly  touch  the  ground 


LONG  EARS  AND   THEIR  KIN.  89 

to  gather  itself  for  the  next  leap,  but  holds  its  legs  stiffly 
extended,  as  if  to  rebound  by  force  of  the  concussion. 

12.  "  With  a  succession  of  these  great  jerky  leaps  the 
animal  makes  straight  away,  having  nothing  of  the  dodg- 
ing about  and  the  scuttling  around  bushes  that  marks 
the  course  of  the  little  sage-rabbit.     I  have  occasionally 
had  both  these   kinds   of   hares   running  before  me  at 
once,  and  nothing  could  be  more  different  than  their  ap- 
pearance.    As  the  jack  gains  on  a  pursuer,  or  as  its  fears 
subside,  the  springs  grow  shorter,  lower,  and  weaker,  just 
as  a  flat  stone  skipped  along  the  surface  of  water  shortens 
and  lowers  in  rebounding,  till  finally  the  animal  squats  on 
its  haunches  with  a  last  jerk,  and  comes  to  a  stock-still  to 
look  or  listen.     If  entirely  reassured,  it  may  then  lope  on 
with  easy  steps  till  out  of  sight,  or  it  may  squat  and  dis- 
appear— to  which  latter  end  it  is  only  necessary  to  pin  the 
ears  back,  when  the  animal  goes  out  of  sight. 

13.  "  If  there  is  anything  more  curious  about  a  jack 
than  its  legs  and  the  way  it  runs,  it  is  the  ears  and  the 
way  it  hides.     If  a  jack  would  only  keep  still  and  never 
hoist  its  ears,  it  would  conduce  to  longevity ;  for  these 
enormous  appendages  are,  curiously,  the  most  conspicuous 
parts  of  the  whole  animal ;  and  the  natural  timidity  and 
watchfulness  of  the  jack  are  so  great  that  the  ears  almost 
always  stand  on  the  alert.     When  squatting  closely,  with 
ears  folded  back  flat,  the  animal  may  be  almost  stepped 
on  without  being  noticed,  so  closely  do  its  colors  blend 
with  the  surroundings. 

14.  "  The  attitude  it  assumes  when  on  the  watch  is 
highly  characteristic.     It  is  drawn  up  to  its  full  height, 
sitting  on  its  haunches,  with  one  fore-foot  advanced  be- 
fore the  other,  and  the  ears  parted  in  opposite  directions ; 
under  these  circumstances  the  slightest  stimulation  of  its 
fears  is  enough  to  send  it  bounding  off." 


30         NEIGHBORS   WITH  CLAWS  AND  HOOFS. 

15.  Mark  Twain  describes  this  animal  as  follows:  "As 
the  sun  was  going  down,  we  saw  the  first  specimen  of  an 
animal  known,  from  Kansas  clear  to  the  Pacific  Ocean,  as 
the  '  jackass-rabbit.'     He  is  well  named.     He  is  just  like 
any  other  rabbit,  except  that  he  is  from  one  third  to  twice 
as  large,  has  longer  legs  in  proportion  to  his  size,, and  has 
the  most  preposterous  ears  that  ever  were  mounted  on  any 
creature  but  a  jackass. 

16.  "When  he  is  sitting  quiet,  thinking  about  his 
sins,  or  is  absent-minded  or  unapprehensive  of  danger,  his 
majestic  ears  project  above  him  conspicuously;  but  the 
breaking  of  a  twig  will  scare  him  nearly  to  death,  and 
then  he  tilts  back  his  ears  gently  and  starts  for  home. 
All  you  can  see,  then,  for  the  next  minute,  is  his  long, 
gray   form    stretched   out   straight,  and    '  streaking   it ' 
through  the  low  sage-brush,  head  erect,  eyes  right,  and 
ears  just  canted  a  little  to  the  rear,  but  showing  you 
where  the  animal  is  all  the  time,  the  same  as  if  he  carried 
a  jib. 

17.  "Now  and  then  he  makes  a  marvelous  spring 
with  his  long  legs,  high  over  the  stunted  sage-brush,  and 
scores  a  leap  that  would  make  a  horse  envious.    Presently 
he  comes  down  to  a  long,  graceful  lope,  and  shortly  he 
disappears.     He  has  crouched  behind  a  sage-bush,  and 
will  sit  there  and  listen  and  tremble,  until  you  get  within 
six  feet  of  him,  when  he  will  get  under  way  again. 

18.  "But  one  must  shoot  at  this  creature  once,  if  he 
wishes  to  see  him  throw  his  heart  into  his  heels,  and  do 
the  best  he  knows  how.     He  is  frightened  clear  through, 
and  he  lays  his  long  ears  down  on  his  back,  straightens 
himself  out  like  a  yard-stick  every  spring  he  makes,  and 
scatters  miles  behind  him  with  an  easy  indiiference  that 
is  enchanting. 

19.  "  Our  whole  party  shot  at  this  specimen  and  made 


BIRD-LANGUAGE.  91 

him  c  hump 5  himself.  It  is  not  putting  it  too  strong  to 
say  that  he  was  frantic.  He  dropped  his  ears,  set  up  his 
tail,  and  left  for  San  Francisco  at  a  speed  which  can  only 
be  described  as  a  flash  and  a  vanish.  Long  after  he  was 
out  of  sight  we  could  hear  him  whiz." 


CHAPTER  XV. 
BIRD-LANGUAGE. 

1.  ONE  day,  in  the  bluest  of  summer  weather, 

Sketching  under  a  whispering  oak, 
I  heard  five  bobolinks  laughing  together 
Over  some  ornithological  joke. 

2.  What  the  fun  was  I  couldn't  discover ; 

Language  of  birds  is  a  riddle  on  earth ; 
What  could  they  find  in  white- weed  and  clover 
To  split  their  sides  with  such  musical  mirth  ? 

3.  Was  it  some  prank  of  the  prodigal  summer, 

Face  in  the  cloud  or  voice  in  the  breeze, 
Querulous  cat-bird,  woodpecker  drummer, 
Cawing  of  crows  high  over  the  trees  ? 

4.  Was  it  some  chipmunk's  chatter,  or  weasel 

Under  the  stone-wall  stealthy  and  sly  ? 
Or  was  the  joke  about  me  at  my  easel, 
Trying  to  catch  the  tints  of  the  sky  ? 

5.  Still  they  flew  tipsily,  shaking  all  over, 

Bubbling  with  jollity,  brimful  of  glee. 
While  I  sat  listening,  deep  in  the  clover, 
Wondering  what  their  jargon  could  be. 


NEIGHBORS   WITH  CLAWS  AND  HOOFS. 

60  'Twas  but  the  voice  of  a  morning  the  brightest 

That  ever  dawned  over  yon  shadowy  hills  ;t 
'Twas  but  the  song  of  all  joy  that  is  lightest — 
Sunshine  breaking  in  laughter  and  trills. 

7.  Yain  to  conjecture  the  words  they  are  singing ; 

Only  by  tones  can  we  follow  the  tune 
In  the  full  heart  of  the  summer  fields  ringing, 
Ringing  the  rhythmical  gladness  of  June  ! 

C.  P.  Craneh. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 
THE    MONARCH    OF  THE    MOUNTAIN. 

1.  WHILE  in  the  wilds  the  lion  is  lord  of  the  plains, 
the  tiger  is  sovereign  in  the  jungles,  and  the  jaguar  has 
sway  in  Amazonian  forests,  the  bear  is  the  undisputed 
monarch  of  the  mountains  and  of  the  cold  regions  of  the 
North.     Wolves  hunt  in  packs  and  become  the  terror  of 
frontier  settlements,  and  yet  in  size,  strength,  and  cour- 
age, the  wolf  is  greatly  inferior  to  the  bear.     The  bear  is 
found  in  every  part  of  the  world  except  in  Australia,  and 
even  there  an  animal  is  found,  half  monkey,  half  bear. 
The  several  species  of  bears,  while  differing  in  size  and 
strength,  are  much  alike  in  general  appearance  and  habits. 

2.  The  bear  usually  has  a  rough,  shaggy  coat,  massive 
hind-quarters,  a  peculiar  gait,  and  a  habit  of  standing  erect 
upon  his  hind-feet  when  fighting  with  an  enemy.     The 
clumsy  gait  is  a  consequence  of  his  plantigrade  structure. 
The  long  lower  joint  of  the  hind-leg  strikes  flat  upon  the 
ground,  and  the  animal  seems  to  shuffle  along  rather  than 
to  walk.     The  feet  are  armed  with  long,  sharp,  protruding 


THE  MONARCH  OF  THE  MOUNTAIN.  93 


Snug  Quarters. 


94         NEIGHBORS   WITH  CLAWS  AND  HOOFS. 

claws,  and  these,  impelled  by  powerful  muscles,  are  ca- 
pable of  inflicting  terrible  wounds. 

3.  The  bear  is  both  carnivorous  and  graminivorous, 
thriving  equally  well  on  animal  or  vegetable  diet.     Most 
of  the  species  are  good  climbers  and  swimmers.     It  is  so- 
ciable with  its  own  kind,  and  shows  a  strong  attachment 
to  its  mate  and  young.     Except  in  a  few  species,  it  is 
harmless  when  undisturbed  ;  but  it  becomes  ferocious  and 
dangerous  when  attacked  or  when  defending  its  family. 
It  wards  off  blows  with  great  dexterity,  and  returns  them 
with  interest.     In  a  fight  it  rears  itself  upon  its  hind-feet, 
gives  the  "  bear-hug,"  and  uses  the  claws  of  its  hind-feet 
with  terrible  effect.     When  taken  young  it  is  easily  tamed, 
and  for  a  year  or  more  it  is  as  playful  and  harmless  as  a 
young  puppy ;  but  later  it  must  be  restrained,  for  fear  of 
accidents. 

4.  In  the  cold  regions,  bears  sleep  or  hibernate  in  the 
winter.     During  the  fall  they  become  very  fat,  and,  when 
the  winter  comes  in  earnest,  they  cease  feeding,  retire  to 
their  den  in  some  secure  and  sheltered  place  in  rocks  or 
hollow  trees,  curl  themselves  up,  and  remain  until  spring 
in  a  condition  resembling  sleep,  but  with  the  vital  forces 
more  fully  suspended  than  in  real  sleep.     The  stomach 
contracts,  the  blood  moves  slowly,  and  every  function  of 
the  body  goes  on  in  a  languid  way.     The  little  food  neces- 
sary to  support  this  feeble  life  is  furnished  by  the  fat. 
It  was  once  believed  that  the  bear  is  nourished  during 
the  winter  by  sucking  his  own  claws.     The  warmth  of 
spring  arouses  him  from  his  lethargy,  and  he  comes  out 
of  his  den  in  full  strength  for  his  summer's  work. 

5.  The  American  black  bear  has  always  been  a  favor- 
ite theme  of  story  among  both  white  and  red  men.     It 
has  been  found  in  all  the  States  from  Maine  to  Florida. 
The  climate  of  the  Northern  and  Middle  States  seems  to 


THE  MONARCH  OF  THE  MOUNTAIN.  95 

be  well  adapted  to  tlie  nature  of  the  animal,  although  in- 
dividuals differ  somewhat  in  size  and  shape  even  in  the 
same  localities ;  some  having  shorter  legs,  shorter  body, 
the  head  broad  and  flat  between  the  ears,  and  a  short 
peaked  muzzle  of  light  gray  color,  while  others  have  long- 
er legs,  longer  body,  a  head  equally  broad  between  the 
ears,  but  more  rounded,  longer,  and  larger,  and  the  muz- 
zle of  brown  color.  It  is  a  formidable  antagonist  when 
wounded  or  provoked,  but  seldom  makes  battle  when  al- 
lowed to  escape.  It  has  wonderful  vitality,  and,  to  use 
a  hunter's  phrase,  will  carry  off  more  lead  than  any  other 
animal. 

6.  u  I  believe  that  an  old  lean  bear  can  travel  more 
miles  over  a  rough  country  in  the  space  of  one  week  than 
any  other  wild  animal.     The  gray  wolf  might  gain  a  few 
lengths  during  the  first  three  days,  but  at  the  end  of  the 
week  I  think  the  bear  would  come  out  several  miles  ahead. 
Who  ever  heard  of  a  lean  bear  tiring  down?     Let  him 
thoroughly  understand  that  he  has  got  to  go,  and  he  will 
lead  off  a  race  that  will  surprise  both  men  and  dogs. 
When  closely  pursued  by  dogs,  he  has  a  peculiar  trick  of 
changing  ends ;  that  is,  making  a  sudden  whirl  rearward, 
and  woe  to  the  unlucky  dog  that  is  within  the  sweep  of 
his  murderous  paw !     This  sudden  turn  causes  a  moment- 
ary halt  among  the  pack,  while  the  speed  of  the  bear 
doesn't  seem  to  be  diminished,  and  he  gets  about  a  quarter 
of  a  mile  the  start  before  the  dogs  begin  to  comprehend 
the  trick. 

7.  "  The  bear  can  subsist  on  very  short  allowance,  and 
will  thrive  fast  when  food  is  plenty,  and  at  such  times  will 
frequently  become  extremely  fat,  when  he  becomes  a  more 
easy  prey  to  the  hunters.     The  flesh  of  the  bear,  when 
fattened  on  mast,  is  of  excellent  quality  and  fine  flavor, 
and  was  highly  prized  by  the  early  frontier  inhabitants. 


96         NEIGHBORS    WITH  CLAWS  AND  HOOFS. 

He  is  not  carnivorous  by  nature,  but  in  the  absence  of 
vegetable  diet  will  eat  mutton  and  young  pork  with  evi- 
dent relish.  He  will  tear  the  bark  from  rotten  or  decayed 
logs  in  search  of  snails,  grubs,  and  worms,  which  he  eats 
with  avidity.  He  destroys  wasps'  and  humble-bees'  nests ; 
will  demolish  ant-hills,  simply  for  the  small  amount  of 
sustenance  contained  in  their  eggs  ;  but  his  natural  food  is 
esculent  roots  and  nuts  of  all  kinds,  blackberries,  whortle- 
berries, black  cherries,  and  wild  fruits  of  all  kinds ;  also 
green  corn  in  the  milk." 

8.  The  brown  bear  is  found  all  over  Europe  and  Asia. 
It  is  somewhat  larger  than  the  black  bear  of  America,  but 
in  character  and  disposition  they  are  much  alike.     The 
natural  diet  of  the  brown  bear  consists  of  vegetable  sub- 
stances, honey,  and  the  larvae  of  ants ;  but,  having  once 
tasted  pork,  he  generally  hangs  around  the  farm  yard  until 
he  falls  a  victim  to  the  wrath  of  the  farmer.     Like  his 
American  cousin,  he  is  easily  tamed,  but  becomes  danger- 
ous if  given  his  liberty  after  he  has  attained  his  full 
growth.     Both  the  black  and  the  brown  bear  hibernate 
in  the  North,  but  not  in  the  South.    The  following  story, 
of  a  tame  bear  in  Sweden,  gives  a  very  good  idea  of  the 
character  of  this  brown  Bruin  : 

9.  "  The  cub  was  captured  in  its  den  when  about  three 
weeks  old.      Being  fed  with  warm  milk,  young  Bruin 
throve  satisfactorily,  and,  when  large  enough  to  enjoy 
liberty,  he  usually  stayed  in  the  yard  with  the  bear-dog 
"  Jeppe,"  playing  and  springing  about  his  companion  like 
a  cat.     He  was  also  much  attached  to  his  master,  delight- 
ing to  accompany  him  not  only  to  the  forest,  where  he 
often  clambered  up  trees,  but  also  into  the  house,  where 
removing  chairs  and  tables  from  one  room  into  another 
appeared  to  be  his  favorite  occupation.     Strangers  always 
received   his   attentions ;   but   as   these   were   somewhat 


THE  MONARCH  OF  THE  MOUNTAIN.  97 

brusque,  and  expressed  in  a  surly  tone,  they  tended  rather 
to  repel  than  attract. 

10.  "  One  day,  while  Bruin  was  yet  of  tender  years,  a 
kitten  came  into  the  yard  and  immediately  drew  his  sur- 
prised attention  upon  herself ;  but  young  puss,  not  admir- 
ing his  looks,  first  cast  upon  him  an  angry  glance,  and 
then  sprang  up  and  fixed  her  claws  in  his  head,  exciting 
such  alarm  that  he  trotted  off  in  nervous  haste,  and  hid 
himself  in  an  outhouse.     Afterward  he  always  fled  at  the 
sight  of  this  cat,  though  she  was  the  only  one  of  which 
he  showed  fear. 

11.  "  Whenever  he  could  intrude  into  the  kitchen  he 
bemeaned  himself  like  an  officious  and  meddlesome  hus- 
band, disordering  affairs,  greatly  to  the  vexation  of  the 
domestics,  to  whose  castigations  with  a  stout  knob-stick 
he  payed  little  regard.     One  day  he  laid  hold  of  a  coffee- 
pan  that  stood  on  the  hearth,  and  was  conveying  it  in  his 
paws  to  the  yard,  when  the  hot  contents,  overflowing  on 
his  bosom,  provoked  him  to  cast  it  on  the  ground  and 
flatten  it  with  a  stroke  of  his  paw. 

12.  "  As  he  grew  older  it  was  found  necessary  to  im- 
pose some  check  upon  his  movements,  and  for  this  purpose 
a  chain,  with  a  log  at  the  end  of  it,  was  attached  to  a  collar 
round  his  neck.    Such  badge  of  servitude  and  interference 
with  the  liberty  of  a  free-born  bear  was  not  to  be  borne. 
At  first  he  tried  to  strike  off  the  log  with  his  paws ;  then 
he  dragged  it  to  the  river,  but  was  vastly  irritated  to  find 
that,  after  every  attempt  to  sink  it,  the  audacious  log  came 
to  the  surface  again.    Finally  he  dug  a  hole,  put  the  log  into 
it,  and  replaced  the  earth,  stamping  or  pressing  it  down  ; 
then,  apparently  satisfied  with  his  work,  he  attempted  to 
move  off,  but  found  himself  in  a  worse  fix  than  before ; 
however,  after  sundry  angry  jerks  the  chain  broke,  and  he 
regained  his  freedom,  leaving  his  incumbrance  in  the  grave. 


98          NEIGHBORS   WITH  CLAWS  AND  HOOFS. 

13.  "  Poor  Bruin !  after  his  winter's  nap  he  must  in- 
deed have  got  up  on  the  wrong  side  of  the  bed,  for  he 
became  so  unbearably  troublesome  and  subject  to  such 
angry  moods,  that,  at  the  early  age  of  about  three  years, 
he  was  doomed  to  death,  and  executed  accordingly." 

14.  The  largest  and  most  savage  of  all  bears  is  the 
grizzly,  of  the  Kocky  Mountains  and  Pacific  coast.     He 
is  a  flesh-eater,  and  does  not  hesitate  to  attack  man  or 
beast.      He  is  hard  to  kill,  and  very  dangerous  when 
wounded.     Bullets  are  fatal  only  when  they  pierce  his 
heart  or  brain,  and  an  instance  is  related  of  a  bear  that  lived 
twenty  minutes  with  two  bullets  through  his  heart.    With 
his  enormous  size  and  long  plantigrade  foot,  the  gait  of 
the  grizzly  has  much  more  of  the  shuffle  than  other  bears, 
and  it  seems  that  he  trots  with  his  fore-feet  and  drags  his 
hind-quarters.     But  he  goes  over  the  ground  with  great 
speed,  and  a  man  on  foot  would  stand  a  poor  chance  to 
get  out  of  his  way. 

15.  This  is  the  story  which  an  old  hunter  tells  of  a 
grizzly :  "  One  day  I  rode  out   alone,  armed  with   my 
rifle.    In  the  midst  of  a  plain,  covered  with  wild  clover,  I 
saw  a  grizzly  rolling  on  the  soft  herbage,  with  his  paws 
playing  stupidly  in  the  air.     The  cattle  not  far  distant 
were  watching  this  movement,  and  a  bull  advanced  toward 
it,  drawn,  it  seemed  to  me,  by  curiosity.     The  bull  gradu- 
ally drew  nearer  the  bear,  the  herd  following  him,  graz- 
ing as  they  went.     He  forced  his  way  through  the  tall 
clover  until  he  came  within  fifty  yards,  bellowing  and 
tearing  up  the  earth.     The  bear  moved  less,  only  now  arid 
then  rolling  a  little  to  stir  the  field. 

16.  "  The  curiosity  of  the   bull   now  changed  into 
anger;  he  came  slowly  up,  snorting  and  bellowing,  and 
at  length  stepped  suddenly  forward  and  plunged  at  the 
bear,  who  caught  him  in  his  powerful  arms  and  held  him 


THE  MONARCH  OF  THE  MOUNTAIN.  99 

down.  There  was  fifteen  minutes'  struggling  and  roaring, 
and  the  two  immense  beasts  rolled  over  and  over,  crush- 
ing flat  a  wide  area  in  the  field.  The  herd  gathered 
around,  and  bellowed  with  rage  and  terror ;  but  the  bear 
never  slackened  his  hold  until  the  bull  was  exhausted  and 
ceased  to  strive.  Then  up  rose  Bruin  as  light  as  a  cat, 
and  the  herd  ran  bellowing  to  the  hills.  While  the  bear 
was  feasting  on  his  prey,  I  rode  up  and  put  a  bullet 
through  his  heart." 

17.  The  polar  bear  is  a  rival  of  the  grizzly  in  size, 
strength,  and  ferocity.     Its  usual  weight  is  from  eight 


The  Polar  Bear. 


hundred  to  one  thousand  pounds,  but  an  occasional  one 
has  been  killed  weighing  twelve  hundred  to  fifteen  hun- 
dred pounds.  Its  color  is  a  silvery  white,  with  a  slight 


100       NEIGHBORS   WITH  OLA  WS  AND  HOOFS. 

yellowish  hue,  varying  with  different  individuals.  Its 
home  is  among  the  snow  and  ice  of  the  extreme,  North, 
and  it  is  necessarily  carnivorous,  as  no  vegetation  grows 
in  the  regions  it  inhabits.  It  lives  on  fish  and  seals,  and 
it  discovers  a  great  deal  of  sagacity  in  capturing  its  prey. 
Observing  a  seal  basking  on  the  rocks  near  the  shore,  it 
dives  into  the  water  and  swims  out  so  as  to  cut  off  the 
retreat  of  the  seal  and  obliges  him  to  take  to  the  land. 
Here  escape  is  impossible,  and  the  bear  indulges  in  an 
unctuous  feast,  which  it  shares  with  the  other  members 
of  its  family.  The  following  narrative,  showing  the 
affection  of  the  white  bear  for  its  young,  is  from  the 
"  Journal  of  a  Yoyage  for  making  Discoveries  to  the 
North  Pole": 

18.  "  Early  in  the  morning,  the  man  at  the  mast-head 
gave  notice  that  three  bears  were  making  their  way  very 
fast  over  the  ice,  and  that  they  were  directing  their  course 
toward  the  ship.      They  had,  without  question,  been  in- 
vited by  the  scent  of  the  blubber  of  a  sea-horse^ — killed  a 
few  days  before — which  the  men  had  set  on  fire,  and 
which  \vas  burning  on  the  ice  at  the  time  of  their  ap- 
proach. 

1 9.  "  They  proved  to  be  a  she-bear  and  her  two  cubs ; 
but  the  cubs  were  nearly  as  large  as  the  dam.     They  ran 
eagerly  to  the  fire,  and  drew  out  from  the  flames  part  of 
the  flesh  of  the  sea-horse  that  remained  unconsumed,  and 
ate  it  voraciously.     The  crew  from  the  ship  threw  great 
lumps  of  the  flesh  of  the  sea-horse,  which  they  had  still 
left,  upon  the  ice.    These  the  old  bear  carried  away  singly, 
laid  every  lump  before  her  cubs  as  she  brought  it,  and, 
dividing  it,  gave  each  a  share,  reserving  but  a  small  por- 
tion to  herself. 

20.  "  As  she  was  taking  away  the  last  piece,  the  men 
leveled  their  muskets  at  the  cubs,  and  shot  them  both 


THE  MONARCH  OF  THE  MOUNTAIN.          101 

dead ;  and,  in  her  retreat,  they  wounded  the  dam,  but  not 
mortally.  It  would  have  drawn  tears  of  pity  from  any 
but  unfeeling  minds  to  mark  the  affectionate  concern  ex- 
pressed by  this  poor  beast,  in  the  last  moments  of  her 
expiring  young.  Though  she  was  sorely  wounded,  and 
could  but  just  crawl  to  the  place  where  they  lay,  she  car- 
ried the  lump  of  flesh  which  she  had  fetched  away  and 
placed  it  before  them.  Seeing  that  they  refused  to  eat, 
she  laid  her  paws  first  upon  one  and  then  upon  the  other, 
and  endeavored  to  raise  them  up.  It  was  pitiful  to  hear 
her  moan. 

21.  "  When  she  found  she  could  not  stir  them,  she 
went  off,  and,  stopping  when  she  had  got  to  some  dis- 
tance, she  looked  back  and  moaned.  When  she  found 
that  she  could  not  entice  them  away,  she  returned,  and, 
smelling  around  them,  began  to  lick  their  wounds.  She 
went  off  a  second  time  as  before,  and,  having  crawled  a 
few  paces,  looked  again  behind  her,  and  for  some  time 
stood  moaning.  But  still  her  cubs  not  rising  to  follow 
her,  she  returned  to  them  again,  and,  with  signs  of  inex- 
pressible fondness,  went  round  one  and  round  the  other, 
pawing  them  and  moaning.  Finding  at  last  that  they 
were  cold  and  lifeless,  she  raised  her  head  toward  the  ship 
and  growled  at  the  murderers,  who  then  shot  her  with  a 
volley  of  musket-balls.  She  fell  between  her  cubs,  and 
died  licking  their  wounds." 


102       NEIGHBORS    WITH  CLAWS  AND  HOOFS. 


CHAPTER   XVII. 
HOW    I    KILLED    A    BEAR 

1.  So  many  conflicting  accounts  have  appeared  about 
my  casual  encounter  with  an  Adirondack  bear,  last  sum- 
mer, that,  in  justice  to  the  public,  to  myself,  and  to  the 
bear,  it  is  necessary  to  make  a  plain  statement  of  the  facts. 
Besides,  it  is  so  seldom  I  have  occasion  to  kill  a  bear,  that 
the  celebration  of  the  exploit  may  be  excused. 

2.  The  encounter  was  accidental  on  both  sides.     I  was 


The  Slack  Sear. 

not  hunting  for  a  bear,  and  I  have  no  reason  to  suppose 
that  a  bear  was  looking  for  me.  The  fact  is,  that  we  were 
both  out  blackberrying,  and  met  by  chance — the  usual 
way.  There  is  among  the  Adirondack  visitors  always  a 
great  deal  of  conversation  about  bears — a  general  expres- 


HOW  I  KILLED  A  BEAR.  103 

sion  of  the  wish  to  see  one  in  the  woods,  and  much  specu- 
lation as  to  how  a  person  would  act,  if  he  or  she  chanced 
to  meet  one.  But  bears  are  scarce  and  timid,  and  appear 
only  to  a  favored  few. 

3.  It  was  a  warm  day  in  August,  just  the  sort  of  day 
when  an  adventure  of  any  kind  seemed  impossible.     But 
it  occurred  to  the  housekeepers  of  our  cottage  to  send  me 
to  the  clearing,  on  the  mountain  back  of  the  house,  to 
pick  blackberries.     It  was  rather  a  series  of  small  clear- 
ings, running  up  into  the  forest,  much  overgrown  with 
bushes  and  briers,  and  not  unromantic.     Cows  pastured 
there,  penetrated  through  the   leafy  passages  from  one 
opening  to  another,  and  browsing  among  the  bushes.     I 
was  kindly  furnished  with  a  six-quart  pail,  and  told  not 
to  be  gone  long. 

4.  Not  from  any  predatory  instinct,  but,  to  save  ap- 
pearances, I  took  a  gun.     It  adds  to  the  manly  aspects  of 
a  person  with  a  tin  pail,  if  he  also  carries  a  gun.     It  was 
possible  I  might  start  up  a  partridge  ;  though  how  I  was 
to  hit  him,  if  he  started  up  instead  of  standing  still,  puz- 
zled me.      I  prefer  the  rifle :   it  makes  a  clean  job  of 
death.     The  rifle  was  Sharp's — an  excellent  weapon,  be- 
longing to  a  friend  of  mine,  who  had  intended,  for  a  good 
many  years  back,  to  kill  a  deer  with  it.     He  could  hit  a 
tree  with  it — if  the  wind  did  not  blow,  and  the  atmosphere 
was  just  right,  and  the  tree  was  not  too  far  off — nearly 
every  time.     Of  course,  the  tree  must  have  some  size. 

5.  In  this  blackberry-patch,  bears  had  been  seen.    The 
summer  before,  our  colored  cook,  accompanied  by  a  little 
girl,  was  picking  berries  there  one  day,  when  a  bear  came 
out  of  the  woods,  and  walked  toward  them.     The  girl 
took  to  her  heels  and  escaped.    Aunt  Chloe  was  paralyzed 
with  terror.     Instead  of  attempting  to  run,  she  sat  down 
on  the  ground,  and  began  to  weep  and  to  scream,  giving 


104       NEIGHBORS   WITH  CLAWS  AND  HOOFS. 

herself  up  as  lost.  The  bear  was  bewildered  by  this  con- 
duct. He  approached  and  looked  at  her;  he  walked 
around  and  surveyed  her.  Probably  he  had  never  seen 
a  colored  person  before,  and  did  not  know  whether  she 
would  agree  with  him.  At  any  rate,  after  watching  her 
a  few  moments,  he  turned  about,  and  went  into  the 
forest. 

6.  When  I  had  climbed  the  hill,  I  set  my  rifle  against 
a  tree,  and  began  picking  berries,  lured  on  from  bush  to 
bush  by  the  black  gleam  of  the  fruit,  penetrating  farther 
and  farther  through  leaf-shaded  cow-paths  flecked  with 
sunlight,  into  clearing  after  clearing.     I  could  hear  on  all 
sides  the  tinkle  of  bells,  the  cracking  of  sticks,  and  the 
stamping  of  cattle  that  were  taking  refuge  in  the  thicket 
from  flies.     Occasionally,  as  I  broke  through  a  covert,  I 
encountered  a  meek  cow,  who  stared  at  me  stupidly  for  a 
second,  and  then  shambled  off  into  the  brush.     I  became 
accustomed  to  this  dumb  society,  and  picked  on  in  silence, 
attributing  all  the  wood -noises  to  the  cattle,  thinking 
nothing  of  any  real  bear. 

7.  In  point  of  fact,  I  was  thinking  of  a  nice,  romantic 
bear,  which  I  was  weaving  into  a  tale,  the  moral  of  which 
was  to  be  kindness  to  animals,  when  I  happened  to  look 
some  rods  away,  to  the  outer  edge  of  the  clearing,  and 
there  was  the  bear.     He  was  standing  on  his  hind-legs, 
and  doing  just  what  I  was  doing — picking  blackberries. 
With  one  paw  he  bent  down  the  bush,  while,  with  the 
other,  he  clawed  the  berries  into  his  mouth — green  ones 
and  all.     To  say  that  I  was  astonished  is  inside  the  mark. 
I  suddenly  discovered  that  I  didn't  want  to  see  a  bear, 
after  all. 

8.  At  about  the   same  moment   the    bear  saw  me, 
stopped   eating   berries,  and  regarded   me  with   a  glad 
surprise.     It  is  all  very  well  to  imagine  what  you  would 


HOW  I  KILLED  A  BEAR.  105 

do  under  the  circumstances.  Probably  you  wouldn't  do 
it :  I  didn't.  The  bear  dropped  down  on  his  fore-feet, 
and  came  slowly  toward  me.  Climbing  a  tree  was  no 
use  with  so  good  a  climber  in  the  rear.  If  I  started  to 
run,  I  had  no  doubt  the  bear  would  give  chase  ;  and,  al- 
though a  bear  can  not  run  down-hill  as  fast  as  he  can  run 
up-hill,  yet  I  felt  that  he  could  get  over  this  rough,  brush- 
tangled  ground  faster  than  I  could. 

9.  The  bear  was  approaching.     It  suddenly  occurred 
to  me  how  I  could  divert  his  mind  until  I  could  fall  back 
upon  my  military  base.     My  pail  was  nearly  full  of  excel- 
lent berries — much  better  than  the  bear  could  pick  him- 
self.    I  put  the  pail  on  the  ground  and  slowly  backed 
away  from  it,  keeping  my  eye,  as  beast-tamers  do,  on  the 
bear.     The  ruse  succeeded. 

10.  The  bear  came  up  to  the  berries   and   stopped. 
Not  accustomed  to  eat  out  of  a  pail,  he  tipped  it  over, 
and  nosed  about  the  fruit    "gorming"  it  down,  mixed 
with  leaves  and  dirt,  like  a  pig.     The  bear  is  a  worse 
feeder  than  a  pig.     Whenever  he  disturbs  a  maple-sugar 
camp  in   the  spring,  he   always  upsets  the  buckets  of 
sirup,  and  tramples  round  in  the  sticky  sweets,  wasting 
more  than  he  eats.     The  bear's  manners  are  thoroughly 
disagreeable. 

11.  As  soon  as  my  enemy's  head  was  down,  I  started 
and  ran.     Somewhat  out  of  breath,  and  shaky,  I  reached 
my  faithful  rifle.    It  was  not  a  moment  too  soon.    I  heard 
the  bear  crashing  through  the  brush  after  me.     Enraged 
at  my  duplicity,  he  was  now  coming  on  with  blood  in  his 
eye.     I  felt  the  time  of  one  of  us  was  probably  short. 
The  rapidity  of  thought   at   such   moments  of  peril   is 
well  known.     As  I  was  cocking  my  gun,  I  made  a  hasty 
and  unsatisfactory  review  of  my  whole  life.    I  noted  that, 
even  in  such  a  compulsory  review,  it  is  almost  impossible 


106       NEIGHBORS   WITH  CLAWS  AND  HOOFS. 

to  think  of  any  good  thing  you  have  done.  The  sins 
come  out  uncommonly  strong.  I  recollected  a  newspaper 
subscription  I  had  delayed  paying,  years  and  years  ago, 
until  both  editor  and  newspaper  were  dead,  and  which 
now  never  could  be  paid  to  all  eternity. 

12.  The  bear  was  coming  on.     I  tried  to  remember 
what  I  had  read  about  encounters  with  bears.     I  couldn't 
recall  an  instance  in  which  a  man  had  run  away  from  a 
bear    in   the  woods    and    escaped,  although   I   recalled 
plenty  where  the  bear  had  run  away  from  the  man  and 
got  off.     I  tried  to  think  what  is  the  best  way  to  kill  a 
bear  with  a  gun,  when  you  are  not  near  enough  to  club 
him  with  the  stock.     My  first  thought  was  to  fire  at  his 
head,  to  plant  the  ball  between  his  eyes  :  but  this  is  a 
dangerous  experiment.     The  bear's  brain  is  very  small, 
and,  unless  you  hit  that,  the  bear  does  not  mind  a  bullet 
in  his  head — that  is,  not  at  the  time.     I  remembered  that 
the  instant  death  of  the  bear  would  follow  a  bullet  planted 
just  back  of  his  fore-leg,  and  sent  into  his  heart.     This 
spot  is  also  difficult  to  reach,  unless  the  bear  stands  offside 
toward  you,  like  a  target.     I  finally  determined  to  fire  at 
him  generally. 

13.  The  bear  was  coming  on  ;  he  had,  in  fact,  come 
on.     I  judged  that  he  could  see  the  white  of  my  eyes. 
All  my  subsequent  reflections  are  confused.     I  raised  the 
gun,  covered  the  bear's  breast,  and  let  drive.     Then  I 
turned  and  ran  like  a  deer.     I  did  not  hear  the  bear  pur- 
suing.    I  looked  back.     The  bear  had  stopped.     He  was 
lying  down.     I  then  remembered  that  the  best  thing  to 
do  after  having  fired  your  gun  is  to  load  it.     I  slipped 
in  a  charge,  keeping  my   eye   on  the   bear.     He   never 
stirred.     I  walked  back  suspiciously.    There  was  a  quiver 
in  his  hind-legs,  but  no  other  motion.     Still  he  might  be 
shamming :  bears  often  sham.   To  make  sure,  I  approached 


HOW  I  KILLED  A   BEAR. 


Xv 

(tr 

V       107 


and  put  a  ball  into  his  head.    He  didn't  mind  it  now  ;  he 
minded  nothing.     He  was  calm  in  death.     In  order  that 

O 

he  might  remain  so,  I   blew  his   brains  out,  and   then 
started  for  home.     I  had  killed  a  bear ! 

14.  I  sauntered  into  the  house  with  an  unconcerned 
air.     There  was  a  chorus  of  voices :  "  Where  are   your 
blackberries  ? "  "  Why  were  you  gone  so  long  ? "  "  Where 
is  your  pail  ?  "    "I  left  the  pail !  "    "  Left  the  pail  ?  what 
for  ? "    "A  bear  wanted  it."    "  Oh,  nonsense  !  "    "  Well, 
the  last  I  saw  of  it,  a  bear  had  it."     "  Oh,  come !  You 
didn't  really  see  a  bear  ? "     "  Yes,  but  I  really  did  see  a 
real  bear."     "  Did  he  run  ? "     "  Yes,  he  ran  after  me." 
"  I  don't  believe  a  word  of  it !     What  did   you  do  ? " 
"  Oh,  nothing  particular — except  kill  the  bear."     Cries  of 
"Gammon!"      "Don't   believe   it!"     "Where   is   the 
bear  ? "     "  If  you  want  to  see  the  bear,  you  must  go  up 
into  the  woods.     I  couldn't  bring  him  down  alone." 

15.  Having  satisfied  the  household  that  something  ex- 
traordinary had  occurred,  I  went  down  into  the  valley  to 
get  help.     The  great  bear-hunter,  who  keeps  one  of  the 
summer  boarding-houses,  received  my  story  with  a  smile 
of  incredulity ;  and  the  incredulity  spread  to  the  other 
inhabitants,  and  to  the  boarders,  as  soon  as  the  story  was 
known.      However,  as   I   insisted  in   all   soberness,  and 
offered  to  lead  them  to  the  bear,  a  party  of  forty  or  fifty 
people  at  last  started  off  with  me  to  bring  the  bear  in. 
Nobody  believed   there  was   any  bear  in  the   case  ;  but 
everybody  who  could  get  a  gun  carried  one,  and  we  went 
into  the  woods  armed  with  guns,  pistols,  pitchforks,  and 
sticks,  against  all  contingencies  and  surprises — a  crowd 
made  up  mostly  of  scoffers  and  jeerers. 

16.  But  when  I  led  the  way  to  the  fatal  spot,  and 
pointed  out  the  bear,  lying  peacefully  wrapped  up  in  his 
own  skin,  something  like  terror  seized  the  boarders,  and 


108       NEIGHBORS    WITH  CLAWS  AND   HOOFS. 

genuine  excitement  the  natives.  It  was  a  no-mistake  bear, 
by  George  !  And  the  hero  of  the  fight — well,  I  will  not 
insist  upon  that.  But  what  a  procession  that  was  carrying 
the  bear  home !  and  what  a  congregation  was  speedily 
gathered  in  the  valley  to  see  the  bear  !  Our  best  preacher 
up  there  never  drew  anything  like  it  on  Sunday. 

IT.  And  I  must  say  that  my  friends  who  were  sports- 
men behaved  very  well,  on  the  whole.  They  didn't  deny 
that  it  was  a  bear,  although  they  said  it  was  small  for  a 
bear.  Mr.  Drane,  who  is  equally  good  with  a  rifle  or  rod, 
admitted  that  it  was  a  very  fair  shot.  But  he  needlessly 
remarked,  after  he  had  examined  the  wound  in  the  bear, 
that  he  had  seen  that  kind  of  shot  made  by  a  cow's  horn. 
This  kind  of  talk  affected  me  not.  When  I  went  to  sleep 
that  night,  my  last  delicious  thought  was,  "  I've  killed  a 

bear  1 " 

Charles  Dudley  Warner. 


CHAPTER     XVIII. 
THE    BEAR    IN    FABLE   AND    STORY. 

1.  THE  bear  is  so  well  known  that  he  forms  an  im- 
portant character  in  myth  and  fable,  and  enters  largely 
into  the  common  stories  or  folk-lore  of  the  people  in  most 
countries  and  ages.  In  the  mythology  of  the  Norsemen 
he  is  made  strong,  majestic,  and  terrible,  the  god  of 
thunder,  the  bear-king  of  storms.  The  tempest-demons, 
black-bearded,  are  his  children,  and  the  thunder-clouds  go 
rolling  and  soaring  and  foaming  overhead,  bears  every 
one  of  them,  and  close  on  the  heels  of  their  prey.  In 
the  East  the  bear  is  the  shining  one,  the  luminous  sky. 
The  Russian  child  hears,  at  the  fireside,  stories  of  the  bear, 
in  which  he  is  shaggy  and  terrible,  every  hair  of  which  is 


THE  BEAR  IN  FABLE  AND  STORY.  109 


£eech-nutting. 


110       NEIGHBORS   WITH  CLAWS  AND  HOOFS. 

of  iron ;  and  again  lie  is  "  the  old  man  in  the  fur  cloak." 
In  Lapland  the  bear  is  the  "  dog  of  God,"  and  among  the 
peasants  of  the  South  he  is  mild  and  friendly,  "  the 
honey-finder."  Science  finds  the  "  Great  Bear"  the  most 
majestic  object  of  the  northern  heavens,  making  its 
nightly  march  around  the  pole. 

2.  The  good   qualities  of  the  bear,  and  the  amiable 
side  of  his  character,  are  represented  in  the  stories  which 
have  become  classic  in  children's  literature.     In  "  Beauty 
and  the  Beast,"  the  terrible-appearing  monster  who  took 
such  excellent  care  of  Beauty,  and  was  so  generous  to  her 
family,  was  a  bear.     Then  there  is  the  delightful  story  of 
"Snow-White  and  Kose-Eed."     The  bear,  hungry  and 
cold,  knocked  at  the  door  of  the  cottage  on  a  wintry 
night,  and  was  admitted  by  the  kindly  little  girls.     He 
was  treated  to  a  supper  and  a  warm  bed  by  the  fireside, 
and  became  a  welcome  guest  until  spring.     Afterward, 
when  his  two  little  friends  were  in  distress  and  persecuted 
by  an  ill-tempered  and  malicious  dwarf,  the  bear  made 
his  appearance  at  just  the  right  moment,  and  with  one 
blow  of  his  paw  put  an  end  to  the  spiteful  little  manikin 
and  his  persecutions. 

3.  From  very  ancient  times  tame  bears  have  been  led 
over  the  country,  until   their  awkward   appearance   and 
gait  have  become  familiar.     This  has  led  to  the  idea  that 
the  bear  is  stupid  as  well  as  clumsy,  and  in  story  he  is 
often  made  the  victim  of  more  crafty  animals,  especially 
the  fox.     This  is  well  illustrated  in  the  following : 

WHY   THE   BEAR   HAS   A    STUMPY   TAIL. 

4.  One  day  the  bear  met  the  fox,  who  came  creeping 
along  with  a  string  of  fish  he  had  stolen.     "Whence  did 
you  get  those  from  ? "    asked  the   bear.     "  O  my  Lord 
Brain,  I've  been  out  fishing  and  caught  them,"  said  the 


THE  BEAR  IN  FABLE  AND  STORY.  HI 

fox.  So  the  bear  had  a  mind  to  fish  too,  and  bade  the 
fox  tell  him  how  he  was  to  set  about  it. 

5.  "  Oh !  it's  an  easy  craft  for  you,"  answered  the  fox, 
"  and  soon  learned.  You've  only  to  go  upon  the  ice,  and 
cut  a  hole  and  stick  your  tail  down  into  it ;  and  you  must 
hold  it  there  as  long  as  you  can.  You  mustn't  mind  if 
your  tail  smarts  a  little  ;  that's  when  the  fish  bite.  The 
longer  you  hold  it  there  the  more  fish  you  will  get ;  and 
then  all  at  once  out  with  it,  with  a  cross-pull  and  with  a 
strong  pull  too." 

G.  Yes  :  the  bear  did  as  the  fox  had  said,  and  held  his 
tail  a  long,  long  time  down  in  the  hole,  till  it  was  fast 
frozen  in.  Then  he  pulled  it  out  with  a  cross-pull,  and  it 
snapped  short  off.  That's  why  Bruin  goes  about  with  a 
stumpy  tail  this  very  day. 

7.  But  the  bear  does  not  deserve  this  reputation  for 
stupidity.     "When  it  sets  itself  going  after  any  one  it 
wishes  to  catch,  it  displays  an  agility  and  address  which 
those  who  have  been  hunted  by  it  declare  to  be  amaz- 
ing.    And  when  it  wishes  to  get  beetle-grubs  out  of  the 
ground,  ants  out  of  their  nest,  honey  out  of  a  bee-tree, 
fruit  from  a  slender  bough,  or  birds'  eggs  out  of  a  nest, 
it  shows  itself  to  be   as   ingenious  and  skillful  as  any 
other  animal  that  has  to  live  by  its  wits.     To  get,  for  in- 
stance, at  the  beetle-grubs,  it  scratches  off  the  upper  earth 
and  then  sucks  them  up  out  of  the  ground — an  application 
of  a  scientific  process  which  no  animal  without  a  pro- 
digious reserve  of  air-force  could  hope  to  accomplish. 

8.  "  When  it  wishes  to  empty  an  ant-hive  it  knocks  the 
top  off  with  its  paws,  and  then,  applying  its  mouth  to  the 
central  gallery  of  the  nest,  inhales  its  breath  forcibly, 
thereby  setting  up  such  a  current  of  air  that  all  the  ants 
and  their  eggs  come  whirling  up  into  his  mouth  like  pack- 
ets through  a  pneumatic  tube.     When  robbing  bees  it 


112       NEIGHBORS   WITH  CLAWS  AND  HOOFS. 

does  not  get  stung,  and  when  after  wild  apricots  or  acorns 
it  not  only  balances  itself  with  all  the  judgment  of  a  rope- 
walker,  but  uses  its  weight  very  cleverly  so  as  to  bring 
other  boughs  within  reach  of  its  curved  claws  ;  nor  while 
doing  this  does  it  conceal  what  it  is  about.  On  the  con- 
trary, when  sucking  at  an  ant-heap  or  grub-hole  it  makes 
such  a  noise  that  on  a  still  evening  it  can  be  heard  a  quar- 
ter of  a  mile  off,  and  when  up  a  tree,  and  not  alarmed,  it 
goes  smashing  about  among  the  boughs  as  if  bears  were 
not  only  the  rightful  lords  of  the  manor,  but  as  if  there 
were  no  such  things  as  enemies  in  the  world." 

9.  The  poet  Merrick,  in  his  desire  to  "  point  a  moral 
and  adorn  a  tale,"  rather  overstates  the  effect  of  the  sting 
of  the  bee  upon  the  bear.  The  fact  that  it  is  always  ready 
to  plunder  a  new  swarm,  shows  that  it  was  not  greatly  in- 
jured by  the  old  one.  But  here  is  the  poem : 

THE  BEARS  AND  THE  BEES. 

10.  "  As  two  young  bears  in  wanton  mood, 
Forth  issuing  from  a  neighboring  wood, 
Came  where  the  industrious  bees  had  stored 
In  artful  cells  their  luscious  hoard  ; 
O'erjoyed  they  seized  with  eager  haste, 
Luxurious  on  the  rich  repast. 
Alarmed  at  this  the  little  crew 
About  their  ears  vindictive  flew. 
The  beasts,  unable  to  sustain 
The  unequal  combat,  quit  the  plain  : 
Half  blind  with  rage  and  mad  with  pain, 
Their  native  shelter  they  regain ; 
There  sit,  and,  more  discreeter  grown, 
Too  late  their  rashness  they  bemoan. 
And  this  by  dear  experience  gain, 
That  pleasure's  ever  bought  with  pain. 


THE  BEAR  IN  FABLE  AND  STORY.  113 

So  when  the  gilded  parts  of  vice 
Are  placed  before  our  longing  eyes, 
With  greedy  haste  we  snatch  our  fill 
And  swallow  down  the  latent  ill ; 
And  when  experience  opes  our  eyes, 
Away  the  fancied  pleasure  flies ; 
It  flies,  but  oh !  too  late  we  find, 
It  leaves  a  real  sting  behind." 

11.  ^Esop,  in  the  fable,  derives  a  lesson  in  morals  and 
manners  from  another  peculiarity  of  the  bear.     This  is 
the  fable : 

THE   BEAE    AND    THE   TWO    FRIENDS. 

12.  "  Two  friends,  setting  out  together  upon  a  journey 
which  led  through  a  dangerous  forest,  mutually  promised 
to  assist  each  other  if  they  should  happen  to  be  assaulted. 
They  had  not  proceeded  far  before  they  perceived  a  bear 
making  toward  them  with  great  rage. 

13.  "  There  were  no  hopes  in  flight ;  but  one  of  them, 
being  very  active,  sprang  up  into  a  tree,  upon  which  the 
other,  throwing  himself  flat  on  the  ground,  held  his  breath 
and  pretended  to  be  dead,  remembering  to  have  heard  it 
asserted  that  this  creature  will  not  prey  upon  a  dead  car- 
cass.    The  bear  came  up,  and,  after  smelling  of  him  some 
time,  left  him  and  went  on.     When  he  was  fairly  out  of 
sight  and  hearing,  the   hero  from  the  tree  called  out, 
'Well,  my  friend,  what  said  the  bear?     He  seemed  to 
whisper  you  very  closely.'     '  He  did  so,'  replied  the  other, 
4  and  gave  me  this  good  advice,  never  to  associate  with  a 
wretch  who  in  the  hour  of  danger  will  desert  his  friend.'  " 

14.  The  bear-stories  of   later  date  have  little  of  the 
fancy  which  gave  such  a  charm  to  those  of  the  old  time. 
Sometimes,  however,  they  illustrate  a  point  and  have  a 
quaint  humor  of  their  own.     Here  is  the  story  of 


114        NEIGHBORS    WITH  CLAWS  AND  HOOFS. 


THE    BEAR    AND    THE    POLITICIAN. 

15.  "I  never  but  once,"  said  Colonel  Crockett,  "was 
in  what  I  call  a  genuine  quandary.     It  was  during  my 
electioneering  for  Congress,  at  which  time  I  strolled  about 
in  the  woods  so  pestered  by  politics  that  I  forgot  my  rifle. 
Any  man  may  forget  his  rifle,  you  know,  but  it  isn't  every 
man  who  can  make  amends  for  it.     It  chanced  that,  as  I 
was  strolling  along,  the  first  thing  that  took  my  fancy  was 
the  snarling  of  some  bears,  which  proceeded  from  the  hol- 
low of  a  tree ;  but  I  soon  found  that  I  could  not  reach  the 
cubs  with  my  hands,  so  I  went  feet  foremost  to  see  if  I 
could  draw  them  up  by  my  toes.     I  hung  on  the  top  of 
the  hole,  straining  with  all  my  might  to  reach  them,  until 
at  last  my  hands  slipped,  and  down  I  went  more  than 
twenty  feet  to  the  bottom  of  that  hole,  and  there  I  found 
myself  almost  knee-deep  in  a  family  of  young  bears. 

16.  "I  soon  found  that  I  might  as  well  undertake  to 
climb  up  the  steepest  part  of  a  rainbow  as  to  get  back — 
the  hole  in  the  tree  being  so  large,  and  its  sides  so  smooth 
and  slippery.     Now,  this  was  a  real,  genuine,  regular  quan- 
dary.    If  I  was  to  shout,  it  would  have  been  doubtful 
whether  they  would  hear  me  at  the  settlement,  and  if 
they  did  hear  me  the  story  would  ruin  my  election ;  for  a 
man  that  ventured  into  a  place  that  he  couldn't  get  him- 
self out  of,  would  forfeit  the  respect  of  the  settlers.   Well, 
now,  while  I  was  calculating  whether  it  was  best  to  shout 
for  help  or  wait  in  the  hole  until  after  election,  I  heard  a 
kind  of  grumbling  and  growling  overhead,  and  looking  I 
saw  the  old  bear  coming  down  stern  foremost.     As  soon 
as  she  lowered  herself  within  my  reach  I  got  a  tight  grip 
of  her  tail  on  my  left  hand,  and  with  my  little  buck-haf ted 
penknife  in  the  other  I  commenced  spurring  her  forward. 
Ho  member  of  Congress  rose  quicker  in  the  *vorld  than  J 


THE  BEAR  IN  FABLE  AND  STORY.  115 

did !  She  took  me  out  so  quickly  that  it  took  my  breath 
away,  and  the  last  I  saw  of  her  she  was  making  a  bee-line 
to  the  thickest  part  of  the  woods." 

17.  The  next  story,  from  California,  exalts  a  new  hero, 
and  makes  a  victim  of  the  bear.     It  has  something  of  a 
wild  Western  flavor,  and  possibly  will  not  bear  the  closest 
scrutiny : 

THE   BEAR   AND   THE   BURRO. 

18.  "  On  Bull  Creek,  in  Mariposa  County,  resides  a 
Mr.  Black,  who  is  the  possessor  of  a  herd  of  cattle,  which 
he  regards  as  the  apple  of  his  eye.     In  the  morning,  be- 
fore going  to  work,  he  would  look  fondly  at  them,  as  they 
walked  out  from  the  corral  to  go  down  to  water ;  and,  at 
evening,  after  supper,  he  would  sit  and  smoke  his  pipe, 
and  contemplate  them,  finding  each  day  a  new  beauty  in 
some  favorite  heifer,  steer,  or  calf.    They  were  fine  cattle, 
and  their  owner  was  justly  proud  of  them.     None  were 
sick ;  none  died.     They  increased,  nourished,  and  grew 
fat.     In  the  winter,  they  fed  upon  the  yellow  grass  upon 
the  hill-side  ;  in  spring,  when  the  gentle  rains  had  caused 
the  alfalfa  to  send  up  tender  shoots,  they  stood  knee-deep 
among  the  luxuriant  and  sweet-smelling  herbage. 

19.  "  But  all  this  was  too  pleasant  to  last.     A  serpent 
entered  Eden  —  and  a  grizzly  bear  Mr.  Black's  corral. 
Night  after  night  the  fattest  and  sleekest  of  the  calves 
were  ruthlessly  torn  from  the  sides  of  their  helpless  dams, 
and  hurried  away  into  the  fastnesses  of  the  mountains. 
Day  after  day  their  owner  saw  in  the  once  mild  and  placid 
eyes  of  his  herd  a  startled,  hunted  look — an  expression  of 
appeal  which  wrung  his  heart.     Mr.  Black  was  in  despair, 
and,  determined,  at  any  cost,  to  be  rid  of  this  fiend  of  a 
bear,  he  published  an  advertisement  offering  a  reward  of 
fifty  dollars  to  any  person  who  would  kill  it. 

20.  "  On  Bull  Creek,  in  Mariposa  County,  resides  a 


116       NEIGHBORS   WITH  CLAWS  AND  HOOFS. 

Mr.  Opie,  who  is  the  possessor  of  a  donkey,  or  burro, 
which  is,  no  doubt,  as  dear  to  his  owner  as  Mr%  Black's 
horned  cattle  were  to  him.  This  burro,  like  most  others, 
is  fond  of  having  his  own  way,  and,  when  confined  in 
stable  or  corral,  and  the  idea  occurs  to  him  that  he  would 
prefer  to  extend  his  wanderings  beyond  those  limits,  he 
proceeds  calmly  to  kick  down  the  walls  of  the  inclosure, 
and  thoughtfully  strolls  away  in  search  of  drier  sage- 
brush or  more  thorny  greasewood.  Now,  it  happened 
one  night  that  Mr.  Opie's  burro,  having,  as  usual,  demol- 
ished the  barriers  between  himself  and  freedom,  strayed, 
in  a  meditative  frame  of  mind,  to  the  corral  in  which  Mr. 
Black's  cattle  were  confined.  On  reaching  it,  he  gazed 
mildly  at  its  occupants,  and  then  gave  himself  up  to  a  con- 
templation of  the  beauty  of  the  scene. 

21.  "  The  clear  stars  looked  down  unwinkingly  on  the 
plain ;  high  in  the  heavens  rode  the  glorious  moon.     In 
the  distance  rose  the  mountains,  bare  near  their  base,  but 
higher  up  clothed  with  chaparral,  and  higher  still  with 
dark  pines.     Scarcely  a  sound  disturbed  the  quiet  of  the 
night.     The  long-drawn  howl  of  the  coyote  was  silent,  but 
in  the  creek  the  water  murmured  softly  its  little  song. 
All  this  the  burro  observed  and  enjoyed ;  but,  as  the  sweet 
smell  of  the  stacks  reached  his  nostrils,  he  remembered 
that  life  was  not  made  for  dreaming,  and,  walking  up  to 
the  corral,  he  leaned  against  it,  and,  with  scarcely  an 
effort,  threw  down  half  a  dozen  lengths  of  fence.     Then 
he  entered,  and  began  to  eat  Mr.  Black's  hay. 

22.  "  While  all  this  was  going  on,  a  grizzly  of  remark- 
able size  and  ferocity  was  pursuing  his  way  down  a  canon 
toward  the  corral.     He  did  not  stop  to  contemplate  the 
calm  loveliness  of  the  night,  but  went  hurriedly  along,  for 
he  was  hungry,  and  he  remembered  a  particularly  large 
and  fat  calf  that  he  had  twice  unsuccessfully  tried  to 


OUR  SERVANTS  OF  STABLE  AND  HARNESS.  117 

ca,tch.  This  time  lie  vowed  lie  would  secure  it.  The  corral 
reached,  he  found  the  fence  down,  and  entering,  looked 
about  him.  There,  beyond  the  stacks,  in  the  moonlight, 
reposed  most  of  the  cattle ;  but  nearer,  and  in  the  shadow, 
he  saw  what  he  supposed  to  be  the  coveted  fat  calf. 

23.  "  Quietly  he  slipped  up  behind  it,  and  rose  on  his 
hind-feet  to  seize  it,  when  suddenly  a  pair  of  heels  flew 
up  from  the  ground.  One  of  these  hit  Bruin  directly 
under  the  chin,  breaking  his  jaw  and  teeth,  and  causing 
him  to  see  more  stars  than  were  at  that  moment  visible 
in  the  heavens ;  the  other  broke  his  right  fore-leg.  The 
patient  burro  then  laid  back  his  ears,  and  proceeded  to 
further  maltreat  the  unfortunate  and  astonished  bear ;  and 
with  so  much  energy  did  he  carry  on  the  assault  that,  in 
a  short  time,  the  wretched  beast  was  chewed  and  kicked 
into  those  ursine  happy  hunting-grounds,  where,  it  is  to 
be  presumed,  the  donkey  brays  not,  and  his  long  ears  are 
never  seen.  The  bear  being  dead,  the  burro  went  back 
to  the  stacks,  and,  as  he  munched  Mr.  Black's  hay,  medi- 
tated on  the  mutability  of  affairs  upon  this  mundane 
sphere,  and  especially  on  the  uncertainty  of  life." 


CHAPTER    XIX. 
OUR   SERVANTS   OF   STABLE   AND    HARNESS. 

1.  IN  speaking  of  the  horse,  we  can  not  but  observe 
the  improvement  of  American  horses  of  to-day  over  those 
of  a  third  of  a  century  ago.  Besides  the  thoroughbred 
or  race-horse,  and  the  trotter  of  famous  record,  there 
are  becoming  familiar  among  us  the  large  draught-horses 
from  Normandy,  the  Clydesdale  from  Scotland,  the 


118       NEIGHBORS    WITH  CLAWS  AND   HOOFS. 


Cleveland  bay  from  England,  the  diminutive  pony  from 
the  Shetland  Islands,  and  the  wiry  little  mustang  from 


-  •' '  ^aiim 

i     I 


Group  of  Horses. 

our  Western  pampas.  The  horse  among  us  is  receiving 
a  kinder  and  more  intelligent  treatment,  in  return  for 
which  he  is  giving  a  more  valuable  recompense  in  faithful 
service.  Classed  usually  with  the  pachyderms,  or  thick- 
skinned  animals,  the  horse,  singular  as  it  may  seem, 
walks  on  his  toe-nails,  and  these  tips  of  his  feet  are 
formed  into  hard,  firm  hoofs,  well  adapted  to  hold  the 
strong  iron  shoe,  and  to  renew  the  waste  occasioned  by 
continued  wear. 

2.  The  common  donkey  is  derived  from  the  immense 
plains  of  the  interior  of  Asia,  and  is  known  in  nearly  all 


OUR  SERVANTS  OF  STABLE  AND  HARNESS.  119 

countries  for  his  patience,  endurance,  and  his  ability  to 
bear  burdens  and  serve  man  in  the  craggy  and  steep 
mountain-defiles  where  horses  can  not  go.  Both  he  and 
his  near  relative,  the  mule,  tough,  nimble-footed,  and 
docile,  are  more  and  more  taking  the  place  of  the  clumsy 
ox,  and  the  more  sensitive  horse. 

3.  The  zebra,  whose  home  is  in  Africa,  possesses  most 
of  the  peculiar  characteristics  of  the  horse,  but  his  wild 
nature  never  sufficiently  yields  to  taming  influences  to 
make  him  a  faithful  servant.  His  quick  and  long  sight, 
enabling  him  to  discover  approaching  danger  at  a  great 
distance,  renders  his  capture  very  difficult.  His  beauty 
of  form  and  color  makes  him  an  attractive  object  in  the 
show  and  the  zoological  garden. 

4-.  "  By  his  physical  structure,"  says  "  Chambers's  Mis- 
cellany," "the  horse  is  fitted  for  dry,  open  plains  that 
yield  a  short,  sweet  herbage.  His  hoof  is  not  adapted  to 
the  swamp ;  and  though  he  may  occasionally  be  seen 
browsing  on  tender  shoots,  yet  he  could  subsist  neither  in 
the  jungle  nor  in  the  forest.  His  lips  and  teeth,  however, 
are  admirably  formed  for  cropping  the  shortest  grass,  and 
thus  he  luxuriates  where  many  other  herbivorous  animals 
would  starve,  provided  he  be  supplied  with  water,  of 
which  he  is  at  all  times  a  liberal  drinker.  He  can  not 
crush  his  food  like  the  hippopotamus,  nor  does  he  rumi- 
nate like  the  ox ;  but  he  grinds  the  herbage  with  a  pecul- 
iar lateral  motion  of  the  jaw  which  looks  not  unlike  the 
action  of  the  millstone. 

5.  "  There  is  doubt  expressed  as  to  the  original  locality 
of  the  horse.  The  wild  breeds  of  America  are  looked 
upon  as  the  descendants  of  Spanish  breeds  imported  by 
the  first  conquerors  of  that  continent ;  those  of  the  Ukraine 
in  Europe  are  said  to  be  the  progeny  of  Russian  horses 
abandoned  after  the  siege  of  Azof,  in  1696  ;  and  those  of 


120       NEIGHBORS    WITH  CLAWS  AND  HOOFS. 

Tartary  are  regarded  as  coming  from  a  more  southern 
stock.  .Naturalists,  therefore,  look  to  the  countries  border- 
ing on  Egypt  as  in  all  likelihood  the  primitive  place 
of  residence  of  this  noble  animal ;  and  there  is  no  doubt 
that  the  Arabian  breed,  when  perfectly  pure,  presents  the 
finest  specimen  of  a  horse  in  symmetry  and  graceful  outline. 
6.  "  Regarding  the  horse  as  of  Asiatic  origin,  we  now 
find  him  associated  with  man  in  almost  every  region  of 
the  habitable  globe.  Like  the  dog,  ox,  sheep,  and  a  few 
others  of  the  brute  creation,  he  seems  capable  of  accom- 
modating himself  to  very  different  conditions,  and  assumes 
a  shaggy  coat  or  sleek  skin,  a  size  little  inferior  to  the 
elephant,  or  not  larger  than  that  of  an  English  mastiff, 
just  as  circumstances  of  climate  and  food  require.  His 
spirited  fidelity  as  the  servant  of  man  is  pictured  by 
Byron,  in  his  description  of  the  horse  of  Mazeppa : 

1  The  Cossack  prince  rubbed  down  his  horse, 
And  made  for  him  a  leafy  bed, 
And  smoothed  his  fetlocks  and  his  mane, 
And  slacked  his  girth,  and  stripped  his  rein, 
And  joyed  to  see  how  well  he  fed ; 
For  until  now  he  had  the  dread 
His  wearied  courser  might  refuse 
To  browse  beneath  the  midnight  dews ; 
But  he  was  hardy  as  his  lord, 
And  little  cared  for  bed  and  board ; 
But  spirited  and  docile  too ; 
"Whate'er  was  to  be  done,  would  do. 
Shaggy  and  swift  and  strong  of  limb, 
All  Tartar-like  he  carried  him  ; 
Obeyed  his  voice,  and  came  to  call, 
And  knew  him  in  the  midst  of  all ; 
Though  thousands  were  around — and  nighty 
"Without  a  star,  pursued  her  flight — 
That  steed  from  sunset  until  dawn 
His  chief  would  follow  like  a  fawn.* 


OUR  SERVANTS  OF  STABLE  AND  HARNESS.  121 

7.  "  The  endurance  of  the  horse  is  great,  and  equaled 
only,  perhaps,  by  that  of  the  camel.     The  elephant  either 
breaks  down  under  his  own  weight  or  becomes  infuriated 
when  goaded  beyond  his  accustomed  powers;    the  ox, 
though  extremely  patient,  suffers  in  his  feet  or  becomes 
faint  through  hunger ;  but  the  horse  toils  on  unflinchingly, 
till  not  unfrequently  he  drops  down  through   mere   ex- 
haustion.    The  mares  of  the  Bedouin  Arabs  will  often 
travel  fifty  miles  without  stopping ;  and  they  have  been 
known  to  go  a  hundred  and  twenty  miles  in  extreme  cases, 
with  hardly  a  rest,  and  with  no  food.     In  1804  an  Arab 
horse  at  Bangalore,  in  the  presidency  of  Madras,  ran  four 
hundred  miles  in  the  course  of  four  successive  days,  and 
without  showing  any  symptoms  of  more  than  ordinary 
fatigue. 

8.  "  The  affection  of  the  horse  is  sometimes  displayed 
in  joyous  gambols  and  familiar  caresses  like  those  of  the 
dog,  though,  like   the  man  in  the  fable,  who  was  em- 
braced   by  an    ass,  one   would   willingly  dispense  with 
such  boisterous  manifestations.     We  are  informed,  in  the 
'  Sporting  Magazine,'  that  a  gentleman  in  Buckingham- 
shire had  in  his  possession,  in  December,  1793,  a  three- 
year-old  colt,  a  dog,  and  three  sheep,  which  were  his  con- 
stant attendants  in  all  his  walks.     When  the  parlor-win- 
dow, which  looked  into  the  field,  was  open,  the  colt  had 
often  been  known  to  leap  through  it,  go  up  to  and  caress 
his  master,  and  then  leap  back  to  his  pasture." 

9.  Lamartine,  in  his  "  Pilgrimage  to  the  Holy  Land," 
records  a  story  that  a  son  of  a  sheik  related  to  him,  which 
shows  the  tender  affection  existing  between  the  Arabs  and 
their  horses :  "  An  Arab  and  his  tribe  had  attacked  a  cara- 
van of  Damascus  in  the  desert.     The  victory  was  com- 
plete, and  the  Arabs  were  already  occupying  themselves 
in  arranging  their  rich  booty,  when  the  cavalry  of  the 


122       NEIGHBORS    WITH  CLAWS  AND  HOOFS. 

pasha,  who  were  sent  to  meet  the  caravan,  fell  at  once  on 
the  victorious  ravagers,  killed  a  vast  number,  and  made 
prisoners  of  the  rest,  whom  they  bound  with  cords  and 
led  to  Acre  as  a  present  to  the  pasha.  Abou-el-Masch, 
the  name  of  the  Arab  chief,  had  received  a  ball  in  his 
arm  during  the  combat;  as  the  wound  was  mortal,  the 
Turks  had  fastened  him  upon  a  camel,  and,  having  seized 
upon  his  horse,  led  both  on  the  way.  The  evening  of  the 
day  they  were  to  have  reached  Acre,  they  encamped  with 
their  prisoners  among  the  mountains. 

10.  "  The  wounded  Arab  had  his  legs  fastened  by  a 
leather  strap,  and  was  stretched  near  the  tent  where  the 
Turks  were  sleeping.    During  the  night,  being  kept  awake 
through  the  anguish  of  his  wound,  he  heard  the  neighing 
of  his  horse  among  the  other  steeds  fastened  around  the 
tents,  according  to   the   custom  of  the   Orientals.     He 
recognized  his  voice,  and,  unable  to  resist  the  desire  of 
speaking  once  more  to  the  companion  of  his  life,  he  pain- 
fully dragged  himself  along  the  ground,  and  succeeded, 
on  his  hands  and  knees,  in  reaching  his  beloved  courser. 

11.  "  '  Poor  valued  friend,'  said  he,  f  what  will  become 
of  thee  among  the  Turks  ?     Thou  wilt  be  imprisoned  un- 
der the  ceiling  of  a  khan,  with  the  horses  of  an  aga  or 
pasha ;  no  more  will  the  women  and  the  children  carry 
thee  camel's  milk,  and  grains  of  barley  and  of  dour  a  in  the 
palms  of  their  hands  ;  no  more  wilt  thou  gallop  freely  in 
the  desert  like  the  wind  of  Egypt ;  no  more  will  thy 
broad  chest  divide  the  waters  of  Jordan,  or  thy  sleek  skin 
be  refreshed  by  them,  white  as  thy  foam  ;  at  least,  though 
I  am  become  a  slave,  be  thou  free  as  air ;  there,  go !  re- 
turn to  the  tent  thou  knowest ;  go  tell  my  wife  that  Abou- 
el-Masch  will  behold  her  no  more ;  and  pass  thy  head  be- 
tween the  curtains  of  the  tent  to  lick  the  hands  of  my  lit- 
tle ones.' 


K A  WEAR'S  RUN.  123 

12.  "  Thus  saying,  Abou-el-Masch  gnawed  with  his 
teeth  the  cord  of  goats'  hair  with  which  the  Arabs  fetter 
their  horses.  The  animal  was  free  I  But,  seeing  his 
wounded  master  in  bonds  at  his  feet,  the  intelligent  and 
faithful  courser,  with  that  natural  instinct  which  no  lan- 
guage could  have  explained  to  him,  bowed  down  his  head 
and  snielled  of  his  master  ;  then,  seizing  him  by  the  leather 
belt  around  his  waist,  set  off  on  the  full  gallop,  and  carried 
him  even  to  his  tents.  Having  reached  them,  and  thrown 
his  master  on  the  sand  at  the  feet  of  his  wife  and  chil- 
dren, the  noble  horse  expired  with  fatigue.  All  the  tribe 
wept  over  him  ;  the  poets  sang  his  praises  ;  and  his  name 
is  honored  from  tongue  to  tongue  by  the  Arabs  of  Jericho." 


CHAPTER  XX. 

KAWEAH'S    RUN. 

1.  AFTER  trying  hard  to  climb  Mount  Whitney,  with- 
out success,  and  having  returned  to  the  plains,  I  enjoyed 
my  two  days'  rest  in  hot  Visalia,  where  were  fruits  and 
people.  Everybody  was  of  interest  to  me,  not  excepting 
the  two  Mexican  mountaineers,  who  monopolized  the 
agent  at  Wells,  Fargo  &  Co.'s  office,  causing  me  delay. 
They  were  transacting  some  little  item  of  business,  and 
stood  loafing  by  the  counter,  mechanically  jingling  huge 
spurs  and  shrugging  their  shoulders  as  they  chatted  in  a 
dull,  sleepy  way.  At  the  door  they  paused,  keeping  up 
quite  a  lively  dispute,  without  apparently  noticing  me  as 
I  drew  a  small  bag  of  gold  and  put  it  in  my  pocket. 
There  was  no  especial  reason  why  1  should  remark  the 


124       NEIGHBORS    WITH  CLAWS  AND  HOOFS. 

stolid,  brutal  cast  of  countenances,  as  I  thought  them  not- 
worse  than  the  average  California  greasers. 

2.  I  observed  them  enough  to  see  that  the  elder  was  a 
man  of  middle  height,  of  wiry,  light  figure,  and  thin, 
harsh  visage ;  a  certain  angular  sharpness   making  itself 
noticeable  about  the  shoulders  and  arms,  which  tapered 
to  small,  almost  refined  hands.     A  mere  fringe  of  per- 
fectly straight  black  beard  followed  the  curve  of  his  chin, 
tangling  itself  at  the  ear  with  shaggy,  unkempt  locks  of 
hair.     He  wore  an  ordinary  stiff-brimmed  Spanish  sombre- 
ro, and  the  inevitable  greasy  red  sash  performed  its  rather 
difficult  task  of  holding  together  flannel  shirt  and  buck- 
skin breeches,  besides  half  covering  with  folds  a  long, 
narrow  knife. 

3.  His  companion  struck  me  as  a  half-breed  Indian, 
somewhere  about  eighteen  years  of  age,  his  beardless  face 
showing  deep  brutal  lines,  and  a  mouth  which  was  a  mere 
crease  between  hideously  heavy  lips.     Blood  stained  the 
rowels  of  his  spurs  ;  an  old  felt  hat,  crumpled  and  ragged, 
slouched  forward  over  his  eyes,  doing  its  best  to  hide  the 
man.     I  was   pleased  that  the  stable-man  who  saddled 
Kaweah  was  unable  to  answer  their  inquiry  where  I  was 
going,  and  annoyed  when  I  heard  the  hotel-keeper  inform 
them  that  I  started  next  day  for  Millerton. 

4.  Leaving  behind  us  people  and  village,  Kaweah  bore 
me  out  under  the  grateful  shade  of  oaks,  among  rambling 
settlements  and  fields  of  harvested  grain,  whose  pale-yel- 
low stubble  and  stacks  contrasted  finely  with  the  deep  foli- 
age, and  served  as  a  pretty  groundwork  for  stripes  of  vivid 
green  which  marked  the  course  of  numberless  irrigat- 
ing streams.     Low  cottages,  overarched  with  boughs  and 
hemmed  in  with  weed  jungles,  margined  my  road. 

5.  Trees  and  settlements  and  children  were  soon  be- 
hind us,  an  open  plain  stretching  on  in  front,  without 


KAWEAH'S  RUN.  125 

visible  limit.  It  was  not  pleasant  to  realize  that  I  had 
one  hundred  and  twenty  miles  of  this  lonely  landscape 
ahead  of  me,  nor  that  my  only  companion  was  Kaweah ; 
for,  with  all  his  splendid  powers  and  rare  qualities  of  in- 
stinct, there  was  not  the  slightest  evidence  of  response  or 
affection  in  his  behavior.  Friendly  toleration  was  the 
highest  gift  he  bestowed  on  me,  though  I  think  he  had 
great  personal  enjoyment  in  my  habits  as  a  rider. 

6.  The  only  moments  that  we  ever  seemed  thoroughly 
en  rapport  were  when  I  crowded  him  down  to  a  wild  run, 
using  the  spur  and  shouting  at  him  loudly,  or  when,  in 
our  friendly  races  homeward  toward  camp,  through  the 
forest,  I  put  him  at  a  leap  where  he  even  doubted  his  own 
power.     At  such  times  I  could  communicate  ideas  to  him 
with  absolute  certainty.    He  would  stop,  or  turn,  or  gather 
himself  for  a  leap  at  my  will,  as  it  seemed  to  me,  by  some 
sort  of  magnetic  communication ;  but  I  always  paid  dearly 
for  this  in  long,  tiresome  efforts  to  calm  him.     With  the 
long,  level  road  ahead  of  me,  I  dared  not  attack  its  monot- 
ony by  any  unusual  riding,  and,  having  settled  him  at  our 
regular  traveling  trot — a  gait  of  about  six  miles  an  hour 
— I  forgot  all  about  the  dreary  expanse  of  plain,  and  gave 
myself  up  to  quiet  reverie.     About  dusk  we  reached  the 
King's  Biver  Ferry. 

7.  As  I  walked  over  to  see  Kaweah  at  the  corral,  I 
glanced  down  the  river,  and  saw,  perhaps  a  quarter  of  a 
mile  below,  two  horsemen  ride  down  one  bank,  spur  their 
horses  into  the  stream,  swim  to  the  other  side,  and  strug- 
gle up  a  steep  bank,  disappearing  among  bunches  of  cot- 
tonwood-trees  near  the  river.     So  dangerous  and  unusual 
a  proceeding  could  not  have  been  to  save  the  half-dollar 
ferriage.     There  was  something  about  their  seat,  and  the 
cruel  way  they  drove  home  their  spurs,  that,  in  default  of 
better  reasons,  made  me  think  them  Mexicans. 


128       NEIGHBORS   WITH  CLAWS  AND  HOOFS. 

8.  The  whole  Tulare  plain  is  the  home  of  nomadic 
ranchers,  who,  as  pasturage  changes,  drive  about  their 
herds  of  horses  and  cattle  from  range  to  range,  and,  as 
the  wolves  prowl  around  for  prey,  so  a  class  of  Mexican 
highwaymen  rob  and  murder  them  from  one  year's  end 
to  another.     I  judged  the  swimmers  were  bent  on  some 
such  errand,  and  lay  down  on  the  ground  by  Kaweah,  to 
guard  him,  rolling  myself  in  my  soldier's  great-coat,  and 
slept,  with  saddle  for  a  pillow.     Once  or  twice  the  animal 
waked  me  by  stamping  restively;  but  I  could  perceive  no 
cause  for  alarm,  and  slept  on  comfortably  until  a  little 
before  sunrise,  when  I  rose,  took  a  plunge  in  the  river, 
and  hurriedly  dressed  myself  for  the  day's  ride.      The 
ferryman,  who  had  promised  to  put  me  across  the  river 
at  dawn,  was  already  at  his  post,  and,  after  permitting 
Kaweah  to  drink  a  deep  draught,  I  rode  him  out  on  the 
ferry-boat,  and  was  quickly  at  the  other  side. 

9.  The  plain  stretched  off  to  my  left  into  dusky  dis- 
tance, and  ahead  in  a  bare,  smooth  expanse,  dreary  by  its 
monotony,  yet  not  altogether  repulsive  in  the  pearly  ob- 
scurity of  the  morning.     In  midsummer  these  plains  are 
as  hot  as  the  Sahara  through  the  long,  blinding  day ;  but 
after  midnight  there  comes  a  delicious  blandness  upon  the 
air,  a  suggestion  of  freshness  and  upspringing  life,  which 
renews  vitality  within  you.    Kaweah  showed  the  influence 
of  this  condition  in  the  sensitive  play  of  ears  and  toss  of 
head,  and  in  his  free,  spirited  stride.     I  was  experiment- 
ing on  his  sensitiveness  to  sounds,  and  had  found  that  his 
ears  turned  back  at  the  faintest  whisper,  when  suddenly 
his  head  rose,  he  looked  sharply  forward  toward  a  clump 
of  trees  on  the  river-bank,  one  hundred  and  fifty  yards  in 
front  of  us,  where  a  quick  glance  revealed  to  me  a  camp- 
fire,  and  two  men  hurrying  saddles  upon  their  horses — a 
gray  and  a  sorrel. 


KAWEAH' S  RUN.  127 

10.  They  were  Mexicans,  the  same  who  had  swam 
King's  River  the  afternoon  before,  and,  as  it  flashed  on 
me  finally,  the  two  whom  I  had  studied  so  attentively  at 
Yisalia.     Then  I  at  once  saw  their  purpose  was  to  waylay 
me,  and  made  up  my  mind  to  give  them  a  lively  run. 
The  road  followed  the  bank  up  to  their  camp,  in  an  east- 
erly direction,  and  then,  turning  a  sharp  right  angle  to  the 
north,  led  out  upon  the  open  plain,  leaving  the  river 
finally. 

11.  I  decided  to  strike  across,  and  threw  Kaweah  into 
a  sharp  trot.    I  glanced  at  my  girth,  and  then  at  the  bright 
copper  upon  my  pistol,  and  settled  myself  firmly  in  the 
saddle.   Finding  that  they  could  not  saddle  quickly  enough 
to  attack  me  mounted,  the  older  villain  grabbed  a  shot- 
gun, and  sprang  to  head  me  off,  his  comrade  meantime 
tightening  the  cinches.     I  turned  Kaweah  off  to  the  left, 
and  tossed  him  a  little  more  rein,  which  he  understood, 
and  sprang  out  into  a  gallop.     The  robber  brought  his 
gun  to  his  shoulder,  covered  me,  and  yelled,  in  good  Eng- 
lish, "  Hold  on ! " 

12.  At  that  instant  his  companion  dashed  up,  leading 
the  other  horse.     In  another  instant  they  were  mounted 
and  after  me,  yelling  to  the  mustangs,  plunging  in  the 
spurs,  and  shouting  occasional  volleys  of  oaths.     By  this 
time  I  regained  the  road,  which  lay  before  me,  traced  over 
the  blank,  objectless  plain  in  vanishing  perspective.     Fif- 
teen miles  lay  between  me  and  a  station ;  Kaweah  and 
a  pistol  were  my  only  defense ;  yet  at  that  moment  I  felt 
a  thrill  of  pleasure,  a  wild  moment  of  inspiration,  almost 
worth  the  danger  to  experience. 

13.  I  glanced  over  my  shoulder,  and  found  that  the 
Mexicans  were  crowding  their  horses  to  the  fullest  speed ; 
their  hoofs,  rattling  on  the  dry  plain,  were  accompanied 
by  inarticulate   noises,  like  the   cries   of    blood-hounds. 


128       NEIGHBORS   WITH  CLA  WS  AND  HOOFS. 

Kaweah  comprehended  the  situation.  I  could  feel  his 
grand  legs  gather  under  me,  and  the  iron  muscles  contract 
with  excitement ;  he  tugged  at  the  bit,  shook  his  bridle- 
chains,  and  flung  himself  impatiently  into  the  air. 

14.  It  flashed  upon  ine  that  they  had  confederates  con- 
cealed in  some  ditch  far  in  advance  of  me,  and  that  the 
plan  was  to  crowd  me  through  at  the  fullest  speed,  giving 
up  the  chase  to  new  men  and  fresh  horses ;  and  I  resolved 
to  save  Kaweah  to  the  utmost,  and  only  allow  him  a  speed 
which  should  keep  me  out  of  gunshot.     So  I  held  him 
firmly,  and  reserved  my  spur  for  the  last  emergency.    Still, 
we  fairly  flew  over  the  plain,  and  I  said  to  myself,  as  the 
clatter  and  din  of  my  pursuers  rang  in  my  ears  now  and 
then,  as  the  freshening  breeze  hurried  it  forward,  that,  if 
those  brutes  got  me,  there  was  nothing  in  blood  and  brains ; 
for  Kaweah  was  a  prince  beside  their  mustangs,  and  I 
ought  to  be  worth  two  villains. 

15.  For  the  first  twenty  minutes  the  road  was  hard 
and  smooth  and  level.     After  that  gentle,  shallow  undu- 
lations began,  and  at  last,  at  brief  intervals,  were  sharp 
ditches  eight  or  nine  feet  wide.     I  reined  Kaweah  in  and 
brought  him  up  sharply  on  their  bottoms,  giving  him  the 
bit  to  spring  up  on  the  other  side ;  but  he  quickly  taught 
me  better,  and,  gathering,  took  them  easily  without  my 
feeling  it  in  his  stride. 

16.  The  hot  sun  had  arisen.     I  saw  with  anxiety  that 
the  tremendous  speed  began  to  tell  painfully  on  Kaweah. 
Foam  tinged  with  blood  fell  from  his  mouth,  and  sweat 
rolled  in  streams  from  his  whole  body,  and  now  and  then 
he  drew  a  deep-heaving  breath.     I  leaned  down  and  felt 
of  the  cinch  to  see  if  it  had  slipped  forward ;  but  as  I  had 
saddled  him  with  great  care  it  kept  its  true  place,  so  I  had 
only  to  fear  the  greasers  behind  or  a  new  relay  ahead.     I 
was  conscious  of   plenty  of   reserved  speed  in  Kaweah, 


KAWEAH'S  RUN.  12!) 

whose  powerful  run  was  already  distancing  their  fatigued 
mustangs.  As  we  bounded  down  a  roll  of  the  plain,  a 
cloud  of  dust  sprang  from  a  ravine  directly  in  front  of 
me,  and  two  black  objects  lifted  themselves  in  the  sand. 
I  drew  my  pistol,  cocked  it,  whirled  Kaweah  to  the  left, 
plunging  by  and  clearing  by  about  six  feet.  A  thrill  of 
relief  came  as  I  saw  the  long  white  horns  of  Spanish  cat- 
tle gleam  above  the  dust. 

17.  Unconsciously  I  restrained  Kaweah  too  much,  and 
in  a  moment  the  Mexicans  were  crowding  down  upon  me 
at  a  fearful  rate.     On  they  came,  the  crash  of  their  spurs 
and  the  clatter  of  their  horses  distinctly  heard ;  and  as  I 
had  so  often  compared  the  beats  of  chronometers,  I  un- 
consciously noted  that  while  Kaweah's,  although  painful, 
yet  came  with  regular  power,  the  mustangs'  respiration 
was  quick,  spasmodic,  and  irregular.     I  compared  the  in- 
tervals of  the  two  mustangs,  and  found  that  one  breathed 
better  than  the  other,  and  then,  upon  counting  the  best 
mustang  with  Kaweah,  found  that  he  breathed  nine  breaths 
to  Kaweah's  seven.     In  two  or  three  minutes  I  tried  again, 
finding  the  relation  ten  to  seven.     Then  I  felt  the  victory, 
and  I  yelled  to  Kaweah. 

18.  The  thin  ears  shot  back  flat  upon  his  neck  ;  lower 
and  lower  he  lay  down  to  his  run.     I  flung  him  a  loose 
rein  and  gave  him  a  friendly  pat  on  the  withers.     It  was 
a  glorious  burst  of  speed;  the  wind  rushed  by  and  the 
plain  swTept  under  us  with  dizzying  swiftness.     I  shouted 
again,  and  the  thing  of  nervous  life  under  me  bounded  on 
wilder  and  faster,  till  I  could  feel  his  spine  thrill  as  with 
shocks  from  a  battery.     I  managed  to  look  round — a  deli- 
cate matter  at  speed — and  saw  far  behind  the  distanced 
villains,  both  dismounted  and  one  horse  fallen. 

19.  In  an  instant  I  drew  Kaweah  into  a  gentle  trot, 
looking  around  at  every  moment  lest  they  should  come  on 

0 


130       NEIGHBORS   WITH  OLA  WS  AND  HOOFS. 

me  unawares.  In  a  half-mile  I  reached  the  station,  and  1 
was  cautiously  greeted  by  a  man  who  sat  by  the  barn-door 
with  a  rifle  across  his  knees.  He  had  seen  me  come  over 
the  plain,  and  had  also  seen  the  Mexican  horse  fall.  Not 
knowing  but  he  might  be  in  league  with  the  robbers,  1 
gave  him  a  careful  glance  before  dismounting,  and  was 
completely  reassured  by  an  expression  of  terror  which  had 
possession  of  his  countenance. 

20.  I  sprang  to  the  ground  and  threw  off  the  saddle, 
and,  after  a  word  or  two  with  the  man,  who  proved  to  be 
the  sole  occupant  of  this  station,  we  fell  to  work  upon 
Kaweah,  my  cocked  pistol  and  his  rifle  lying  close  at  hand. 
We  sponged  the  creature's  mouth,  and,  throwing  a  sheet 
over  him,  walked  him  regularly  up  and  down  for  about 
three  quarters  of  an  hour,  and  then  taking  him  upon  the 
open  plain,  where  we  could  scan  the  horizon  in  all  direc- 
tions, gave  him  a  thorough  grooming.  I  never  saw  him 
look  so  magnificent  as  when  we  led  him  down  to  the 
creek  to  drink.  His  skin  was  like  satin,  and  the  veins  on 
his  head  and  neck  stood  out  firm  and  round  like  whip- 
cords. 

Clarence  King. 


CHAPTER   XXI. 
THE  ALARM-BELL  OF  ATRI. 

AT  Atri,  in  Abruzzo,  a  small  town 

Of  ancient  Roman  date,  but  scant  renown — 

One  of  those  little  places  that  have  run 

Half  up  the  hill,  beneath  a  blazing  sun, 

And  then  sat  down  to  rest,  as  if  to  say, 

"  I  climb  no  farther  upward,  come  what  may  "- 


THE  ALARM-BELL   OF  ATRL  131 

The  Re  Giovanni,  now  unknown  to  fame, 
So  many  monarchs  since  have  borne  the  name, 
Had  a  great  bell  hung  in  the  market-place 
Beneath  a  roof,  projecting  some  small  space, 
By  way  of  shelter  from  the  sun  and  rain. 
Then  rode  he  through  the  streets  with  all  his  train, 
And,  with  the  blast  of  trumpets  loud  and  long, 
Made  proclamation,  that  whenever  wrong 
Was  done  to  any  man,  he  should  but  ring 
The  great  bell  in  the  square,  and  he,  the  King, 
Would  cause  the  Syndic  to  decide  thereon. 
Such  was  the  proclamation  of  King  John. 

2.  How  happily  the  days  in  Atri  sped, 

What  wrongs  were  righted,  need  not  here  be  said. 
Suffice  it  that,  as  all  things  must  decay, 
The  hempen  rope  at  length  was  worn  away. 
Unraveled  at  the  end,  and,  strand  by  strand, 
Loosened  and  wasted  in  the  ringer's  hand, 
Till  one,  who  noted  this  in  passing  by, 
Mended  the  rope  with  braids  of  briony, 
So  that  the  leaves  and  tendrils  of  the  vine 
Hung  like  a  votive  garland  at  a  shrine. 

3.  By  chance  it  happened  that  in  Atri  dwelt 

A  knight,  with  spur  on  heel  and  sword  in  belt, 
Who  loved  to  hunt  the  wild  boar  in  the  woods, 
Who  loved  his  falcons  with  their  crimson  hoods, 
Who  loved  his  hounds  and  horses,  and  all  sports 
And  prodigalities  of  camps  and  courts — 
Loved,  or  had  loved  them ;  for  at  last,  grown  old, 
His  only  passion  was  the  love  of  gold. 

i.  He  sold  his  horses,  sold  his  hawks  and  hounds, 
Rented  his  vineyards  and  his  garden-grounds, 


132       NEIGHBORS   WITH  CLAWS  AND  HOOFS. 

Kept  but  one  steed,  his  favorite  steed  of  all, 
To  starve  and  shiver  in  a  naked  stall, 
And,  day  by  day,  sat  brooding  in  his  chair, 
Devising  plans  how  best  to  hoard  and  spare. 

5.  At  length  he  said :  "  What  is  the  use  or  need 
To  keep  at  my  own  cost  this  lazy  steed, 
Eating  his  head  off  in  my  stables  here, 
When  rents  are  low  and  provender  is  dear  ? 
Let  him  go  feed  upon  the  public  ways ; 

I  want  him  only  for  the  holidays." 
So  the  old  steed  was  turned  into  the  heat 
Of  the  long,  lonely,  silent,  shadowless  street ; 
And  wandered  in  suburban  lanes  forlorn, 
Barked  at  by  dogs,  and  torn  by  brier  and  thorn. 

6.  One  afternoon,  as  in  that  sultry  clime 
It  is  the  custom  in  the  summer-time, 

With  bolted  doors,  and  window-shutters  closed, 
The  inhabitants  of  Atri  slept  or  dozed ; 
When  suddenly  upon  their  senses  fell 
The  loud  alarum  of  the  accusing  bell ! 
The  Syndic  started  from  his  sweet  repose, 
Turned  on  his  couch,  and  listened,  and  then  rose 
And  donned  his  robes,  and  with  reluctant  pace 
Went  panting  forth  into  the  market-place, 
Where  the  great  bell  upon  its  cross-beam  swung, 
Reiterating  with  persistent  tongue, 
In  half -articulate  jargon,  the  old  song : 
"  Some  one  hath  done  a  wrong,  hath  done  a  wrong ! 

7.  But  ere  he  reached  the  belfry's  light  arcade, 
He  saw,  or  thought  he  saw,  beneath  its  shade, 
No  shape  of  human  form,  of  woman  born, 
But  a  poor  steed  dejected  and  forlorn, 


THE  ALARM-BELL   OF  ATRL  133 

Who,  with  uplifted  head  and  eager  eye, 
Was  tugging  at  the  vines  of  briony. 
"  Domeneddio  ! "  cried  the  Syndic  straight, 
"  This  is  the  Knight  of  Atri's  steed  of  state ! 
He  calls  for  justice,  being  sore  distressed, 
And  pleads  his  cause  as  loudly  as  the  best." 

8.  Meanwhile  from  street  and  lane  a  noisy  crowd 
Had  rolled  together,  like  a  summer  cloud, 
And  told  the  story  of  the  wretched  beast 

In  five-and-twenty  different  ways  at  least, 

With  much  gesticulation  and  appeal 

To  heathen  gods,  in  their  excessive  zeal. 

The  Knight  was  called  and  questioned  ;  in  reply 

Did  not  confess  the  fact,  did  not  deny ; 

Treated  the  matter  as  a  pleasant  jest, 

And  set  at  naught  the  Syndic  and  the  rest, 

Maintaining,  in  an  angry  undertone, 

That  he  should  do  what  pleased  him  with  his  own. 

9.  And  thereupon  the  Syndic  gravely  read 
The  proclamation  of  the  King ;  then  said  : 

"  Pride  goeth  forth  on  horseback  grand  and  gay, 
But  cometh  back  on  foot,  and  begs  its  way ; 
Fame  is  the  perfume  of  heroic  deeds, 
Of  flowers  of  chivalry  and  not  of  weeds ! 
These  are  familiar  proverbs  ;  but  I  fear 
They  never  yet  have  reached  your  knightly  ear. 
What  fair  renown,  what  honor,  what  repute 
Can  come  to  you  from  starving  this  poor  brute  (( 
He  who  serves  well  and  speaks  not  merits  more 
Than  they  who  clamor  loudest  at  the  door. 
Therefore  the  law  decrees,  that  as  this  steed 
Served  you  in  youth,  henceforth  you  shall  take  heed 


134       NEIGHBORS    WITH  CLAWS  AND  HOOFS. 

To  comfort  his  old  age,  and  to  provide 
Shelter  in  stall,  and  food  and  field  beside." 

10.  The  Knight  withdrew  abashed ;  the  people  all 
Led  home  the  steed  in  triumph  to  his  stall. 
The  King  heard  and  approved,  and  laughed  in  glee, 
And  cried  aloud :  "  Eight  well  it  pleaseth  roe  ! 
Church-bells  at  best  but  ring  us  to  the  door ; 
But  go  not  in  to  mass ;  my  bell  doth  more : 
It  cometh  into  court  and  pleads  the  cause 
Of  creatures  dumb  and  unknown  to  the  laws  ; 
And  this  shall  make,  in  every  Christian  clime, 

The  bell  of  Atri  famous  for  all  time." 

Longfellow. 


CHAPTER   XXII. 
SWINE   AND   THEIR    FOREST   COUSINS. 

1.  THE  domestic  hog,  has  usually  been  regarded  as  a 
rough,  stupid,  and  uncleanly   animal.      This   view  has 
been  preserved  in  the  low  and  unpleasant  comparisons 
in  which  the  pig  has  figured  as  a  disgusting  object.     But 
a  careful  study  of  the  nature  and  habits  of  this  thick- 
skin,  or  pachyderm,  shows  how  false  is  the  notion.     Un- 
der kind  and  rational  treatment  the  pig   is   gentle,  in- 
telligent, and  docile,  and  neat  and  orderly  in  its  habits. 
The  learned  pig,  able  to  distinguish  letters,  and  perform 
cunning  tricks,  is  already  known  to  the  world. 

2.  The  intelligence  of  the  pig  is  illustrated  by  a  story 
preserved  by  the  Rev.  J.  G.  Wood.     The  story  is  told  by 
a  sailor,  who  describes  the  peculiar  friendship  of  a  pig 
and  dog  that  were  allowed  on  shipboard.     The  sailor  says : 


SWINE  AND   THEIR  FOREST  COUSINS.        135 

"  The  dog,  you  see,  sir,  had  got  a  kennel  for  himself ;  the 
pig  had  nothing  of  the  sort.  We  did  not  think  he  needed 
one ;  but  he  had  notions  of  his  own  upon  that  matter. 
Why  should  Toby  be  better  housed  than  he  ?  Well,  sir, 
he  had  somehow  got  it  into  his  head  that  possession  is  nine 
points  of  the  law ;  and,  though  Toby  tried  to  show  him  the 
rights  of  the  question,  he  was  so  pig-headed  that  he  either 
would  not  or  could  not  understand.  So  every  night  it 
came  to  be  £  catch-as-catch-can.'  If  the  dog  got  in  first,  he 
showed  his  teeth,  and  the  other  had  to  lie  under  the  boat, 
or  on  the  softest  plank  he  could  find ;  if  the  pig  was 
found  in  possession,  the  dog  could  not  turn  him  out,  but 
looked  out  for  his  revenge  next  time. 

3.  "  One  evening— it  had  been  blowing  hard  all  day, 
and  I  had  just  ordered  close-reefed  topsails,  for  the  gale 
was  increasing,  and  there  was  a  good  deal  of  sea  running, 
and  it  was  coming  on  to  be  wet — the  pig  was  slipping 
and  tumbling  about  the  decks,  for  the  ship  lay  over  so 
much  with  the  breeze  that  he  could  not  keep  his  hoofs. 
At  last  he  thought  he  would  secure  his  berth  for  the  night, 
though  it  wanted  a  good  bit  of  dusk.     But  lo  !  Toby  had 
been  of  the  same  mind,  and  there  he  was  safely  housed. 
( Umph !  umph ! ?  says  piggy,  as  he  turned  and  looked  up 
at  the  sky  to  windward  ;  but  Toby  did  not  oiler  to  move. 
Presently  he  trudges  off  to  the  lee-scuppers,  where  the 
tin  plate  was  lying  from  which  they  ate  their  cold  pota- 
toes.    Pig  takes  up  the  plate  in  his  mouth,  and  carries  it 
to  a  part  of  the  deck  where  the  dog  could  see  it,  but  some 
way  from  the  kennel,  then,  turning  his  tail  toward  the 
dog,  he  begins  to  act  as  if  he  was  eating  out  of  the  plate, 
making  it  rattle,  and  munching  with  his  mouth  pretty 
loud. 

4.  "'What!'  thinks  Toby,   'has   piggy  got  victuals 
there  ? '  and  he  pricked  up  his  ears,  and  looked  toward 


136       NEIGHBORS    WITH   CLAWS  AND  HOOFS. 


the  place,  whining  a  little.  '  Champ,  champ !  •'  goes  the 
pig,  taking  not  the  least  notice  of  the  dog ;  and  down  goes 
his  mouth  to  the  plate  again.  Toby  couldn't  stand  that 
any  longer ;  victuals,  and  he  not  there  !  Out  he  runs, 
and  comes  up  in  front  of  the  pig,  with  his  mouth  watering, 
and  pushes  his  cold  nose  into  the  empty  plate.  Like  a 

shot,thepig  turned 
tail,  and  was  snug 
in  the  kennel  be- 
fore Toby  knew 
whether  there  was 
any  meat  or  not  in 
the  plate." 

5.  One  can 
scarcely  credit  the 
fact  that  from  the 
wild  boar,  with 
his  rough,  hideous 
body,  savage  snout, 
and  terrible  tusks, 

have  come  substantially  all  the  finely-molded  animals  that 
mope  and  hobble  about  the  better  class  of  farms.  We 
have  large  breeds  and  small  breeds ;  Chester  whites,  Po- 
land-Chinas, Jersey  reds,  Lancashires,  and  Berkshires, 
Yorkshires,  Essex  swine,  and  Suffolks.  All  show  the 
purpose  of  the  breeder  in  getting  rid  of  all  that  is  use- 
less, long  noses,  ears,  legs,  and  bodies,  and  retaining  just 
what  is  wanted  for  use.  So  that  the  perfectly- bred  pig 
looks  like  a  brick  or  parallelogram  in  shape,  has  short  legs, 
large  round  hams  and  shoulders,  and  plump  sides.  His 
little  head  and  nose  have  just  enough  left  to  eat  the  care- 
fully-prepared food  that  is  set  before  him. 

6.  Now,  if  the  daintily-shaped  Berkshire    is   turned 
abroad  into  the  forest  to  find  his  own  living,  he  will  begin 


The  Wild  Boar. 


SWINE  AND   THEIR  FOREST  COUSINS.         137 

to  grow  long  in  legs  and  snout,  and  his  progeny  will  rapidly 
degenerate  toward  the  style  of  the  "  racers,"  "  subsoilers," 
"  rail-splitters,"  and  "  jumpers,"  that  range  the  "Western 
forests.  It  has  been  observed  that  the  wild  sows  of  the 
Oriental  jungles  keep  their  different  litters  together  in  a. 
sort  of  corral  in  the  woods ;  and  when  any  enemy  attacks 
them  the  mothers  join  in  their  defense.  Our  domestic 
pig  shows  the  same  instinct  under  the  same  circumstances. 

7.  "In  India,  boar-hunting  is  a  favorite  amusement. 
The  hunters  are  always  armed  with  javelins,  which  they 
throw  at  the  animal  as  he  runs  away  or  rushes  to  the 
charge.     His  assaults  are  frequently  so  furious  that  the 
horses  will  not  stand  the  shock,  or,  if  they  do,  are  often 
thrown  down  and  severely  injured.     An  instance  is  re 
corded  in  which  a  large  and  resolute  boar,  having  been 
driven  by  hunters  into  a  plain,  stood  at  bay,  challenging 
the  whole  party ;  he  charged  all  horses,  which  advanced 
within  fifty  yards  of  him,  with  great  ferocity,  causing 
them  to  rear  and  plunge  and  throw  their  riders,  whose 
lives  were  in  jeopardy.     Though  many   of   the  horses 
were  accustomed  to  the  sport,  none  would  sustain  the 
animal's  charges,  nor  bring  their  riders  within  javelin-dis- 
tance :  at  length  he  drove  the  whole  party  from  the  field, 
and,  gnashing  his  teeth  and  foaming,  he  made  his  way  to 
the  jungle,  where  it  was  useless  to  pursue  him  further." 

8.  The  peccary  is  the  smallest  of   the  original  wild 
hogs,  and  it  inhabits  South  America,  Mexico,  and  is  found 
in   Arizona  and   New   Mexico.     "It   loves   forests   and 
marshy  grounds,"  says  Mr.  Jones,  "  but  wanders  wherever 
food  may  be  found,  sometimes  committing  great  depreda- 
tions on  fields  of  maize  or  potatoes.     It  delights  to  root 
for  bulbs,  worms,  or  insects,  but  is  said  also  to  devour  the 
eggs  of  birds  and  reptiles,  and  to  eat  of  almost  anything 
that  it  may  find.     The  flesh  of  this  animal  is  not  very 


138       NEIGHBORS   WITH  CLAWS  AND  HOOFS. 


The  Peccary. 


good.  The  female  produces  but  two  young  at  a  birth 
These  peccaries  have  on  their  back  a  musk-bag,  from  which 
a  fetid  odor  is  given  out  when  the  animal  is  excited." 

9.  Mr.  Smith, 
who  went  to  Tex- 
as in  1841,  says: 

7  c/ 

"The  Mexican 
hogs  (peccaries), 
previous  to  the 
overflow  of  the 
bottom  -  lands  in 
1833,  struck  ter- 
ror into  the  hearts 
of  the  settlers  in 
their  vicinity,  oft- 
entimes pursuing 
the  planter  while 
hunting,  or  in  search  of  the  lost  track  of  his  wander- 
ing cattle,  at  which  time  they  frequently  killed  his  dogs, 
or  even  at  times  forced  him  to  ascend  a  tree  for  safety, 
where  he  would  sometimes  be  obliged  to  wait  until  the 
hogs  got  tired  of  dancing  attendance  at  the  foot  of  his 
place  of  refuge,  or  left  him  that  they  might  go  and  feed. 

10.  "  These  animals  appeared  quite  savage,  and  would, 
after  coming  to  the  tree  in  which  the  planter  had  ensconced 
himself,  snap  their  teeth  and  run  about,  and  then  wait  for 
their  enemy  to  come  down.     At  this  early  period  they 
used  to  hunt  this  animal  in  company :  from  live  to. fifteen 
planters,  and  occasionally   a   large  number   of  hunters, 
would  join  together  in  the  pursuit  of  these  ravagers  of 
their  corn-fields,  in  order  to  diminish  their  number  and 
prevent  their  further  depredations,  as  at  times  they  would 
nearly  destroy  a  farmer's  crop." 

11.  The  wart-hog  is  a  native  of  South  Africa.     It  is 


THE  ARAB'S  STORY  OF  A   BOAR.  139 

about  six  feet  long  and  carries  long  ugly  tusks,  near  which 
on  each  side  of  the  snout  stand  out  two  warts  or  bony 
projections.  "  Hideous  to  a  surprising  extent,"  says  Cap- 
tain Harris,  "  but  inferior  in  pith  to  his  Asiatic  relative, 
slightly  built,  and  of  very  insignificant  stature,  his  chops 
are  armed  with  lancets,  which  in  many  instances  attain 
the  most  astounding  dimensions.  The  wart-hog  is  ex- 
tremely common  in  the  interior,  where,  early  in  the  morn- 
ing or  at  eventide,  after  the  sun  had  declined,  large  herds 
were  daily  to  be  seen  rooting  in  the  open  plain." 


CHAPTER    XXIII. 

THE   ARAB'S    STORY   OF   A    BOAR. 

1.  THE  voice  of  the  hog,  usually  termed  grunting,  is 
not  very  intelligible,  nor  does  it  convey  much  meaning ; 
but  the  Arabs  think  that  it  speaks  their  own  language, 
and  that  many  times  its  speech  can  be  understood.     That 
this  is  believed  is  shown  in  the  following  story,  told  at  the 
camp-fire  by  an  old  Reefian  hunter : 

2.  "  In  the  days  of  my  youth,  when  a  black  mustache 
curled  where  now  you  see  the  hoary  beard  of  my  winter's 
age,  I  seldom  passed  a  night  within  my  father's  hut ;  but, 
sallying  out  with  my  gun,  lay  in  wait  for  the  wild  ani- 
mals which  frequented  a  neighboring  forest.     One  moon- 
light night  I  had  taken  my  position  on  a  high  rock  which 
overhung  a  fountain  and  a  small  marsh — a  favorable  spot 
with  our  hunters  to  watch  for  boars  who  resorted  thither 
to  drink  and  root. 

3.  "  The  moon  had  traversed  half  the  heavens,  and  I, 
tired  with  waiting,  had  fallen  into  a  doze,  when  I  was 


140       NEIGHBORS    WITH  CLA  WS  AND  HOOFS. 

roused  by  a  rustling  of  the  wood  as  on  the  approach  of 
some  large  animal.     I  raised  myself  with  caution,  and  ex- 


Boar  pursued  ly  Wolves. 

amined  the  priming  of  my  gun  ere  the  animal  entered  the 
marsh.  He  paused  and  seemed  to  be  listening,  when  a 
half  growl,  half  bark,  announced  him  to  be  a  boar ;  and  a 
huge  beast  he  was,  and  with  stately  step  he  entered  the 
marsh. 

4.  "  I  could  see  by  the  bright  moon,  as  he  neared  my 
station,  that  his  bristles  were  white  with  age,  and  his  tusks 
gleamed  like  polished  steel  among  the  dark  objects  around 
him.     I  cocked  my  gun  and  awaited  his  approach  to  the 
fountain. 

5.  "  Having  whetted  his  ivory  tusks,  he  began  to  root ; 


THE  ARAB^S  STORY  OF  A   BOAR. 

but  he  appeared  restless,  as  if  he  knew  some  enemy  was 
at  hand,  for  every  now  and  then  raising  his  snout  he  sniffed 
the  air.  I  marveled  at  these  movements,  for  as  the  breeze 
came  from  the  quarter  opposite  my  position,  I  knew  I 
could  not  be  an  object  of  the  boar's  suspicions. 

6.  "Now,  however,  I  distinctly  heard  a  slight  noise 
near  the  edge  of  the  marsh.     The  boar  became  evidently 
uneasy,  and  I  heard  him  say  in  a  clear  voice — for  you 
must  know  they  were  formerly  men — (  I  hope  there  is  no 
treachery ! '     This  he  repeated  once  or  twice,  and  began 
to  root. 

7.  "Keeping  a  sharp  lookout  on  the  spot  whence  I 
heard  the  strange  noise,  I  fancied  I  could  distinguish  the 
grim  and  shaggy  head  of  a  lion  crouching  upon  his  fore- 
paws,  and  with  eyes  that  glared  like  lighted   charcoal 
through  the  bushes  he  seemed  peering  at  the  movements 
of  the  boar.     I  looked  again,  and  now  I  could  perceive  a 
lion  creeping  cat-like  on  his  belly  as  he  neared  the  boar, 
who  was  busy  rooting,  but  with  bristles  erect,  and  now 
and  then  muttering  something  I  could  not  understand. 

8.  "  The  lion  had  crept  within  about  twenty  feet  of 
the  boar,  but  was  hidden  in  part  by  some  bushes.     I  wait- 
ed breathless  for  the  result ;  and  although  myself  out  of 
danger,  I  trembled  with  anxiety  at  the  terrible  scene  that 
was  about  to  take  place. 

9.  "  The  boar  again  raised  his  snout  and  half  turned 
his  side  to  the  lion,  and  I  fancied  I  could  see  his  eye 
twinkle  as  he  watched  the  enemy.     Another  moment,  and 
the  lion  made  a  spring,  and  was  received  by  the  boar,  who 
reared  upon  his  hind-legs.     I  thought  I  could  hear  the 
blows  of  his  tusks  as  the  combatants  rolled  upon   the 
ground.     Leaning  over  the  rock,  I  strained  my  eyes  to 
see  the  result. 

10.  "  To  my  surprise  the  boar  was  again  upon  his  legs, 


142       NEIGHBORS   WITH   CLAWS  AND  HOOFS. 

and,  going  back  a  few  paces,  rushed  at  his  fallen  foe.  A 
loud  yell  was  given  by  the  lion,  which  was  answered  by 
the  distant  howlings  of  the  jackals.  Again  the  ferocious 
boar  charged  till  he  buried  his  very  snout  in  the  body  of 
the  lion,  who  was  kicking  in  the  agonies  of  death.  Blood, 
indeed,  flowed  from  the  sides  of  the  boar,  but  his  bristles 
still  stood  erect  as  he  triumphed  over  the  sultan  of  the 
forest ;  and  now  he  seemed  to  be  getting  bigger  and  big- 
ger. <  God  is  great ! '  said  I,  as  I  trembled  with  dread ; 
4  he  will  soon  reach  me  on  this  rock.'  I  threw  myself  flat 
on  my  face  and  cried  out,  '  There  is  no  other  God  but 
God,  and  Mohammed  is  his  prophet ! ' 

11.  "I  soon  recovered  my  courage,  and  looked  around 
again.     The  boar  had  returned  to  his  natural  size  and  was 
slaking  his  thirst  at  the  fountain.     I  seized  my  gun  ;  but 
reflecting,  said  within  myself :  <  Why  should  I  kill  him  ? 
He  will  not  be  of  any  use  to  me ;  he  has  fought  bravely 
and  left  me  the  skin  of  a  lion,  and  perhaps  he  may  be  an 
evil  spirit.'     So  I  laid  the  gun  down,  contenting  myself 
with  the  thought  of  to-morrow. 

12.  "  The  boar  had  left  the  fountain,  and  was  again 
busied  rooting  in  the  marsh,  when  another  slight  noise  as 
of  a  rustling  in  the  wood  attracted  my  notice,  and  I  could 
perceive  the  smaller  head  of  a  lioness  looking  with  horror 
at  the  body  of  her  dead  mate.     '  God  is  great ! '  said  the 
lioness ;  i  but  he  shall  pay  for  it.     What !  a  pig,  an  infi- 
del !     One  spring,  and  I  will  do  for  him  ! '     Having  said 
these  words,  she  advanced  boldly.     The  boar  stood  pre- 
pared, grinding  his  teeth  with  rage. 

13.  "She  paused,  and  again  retreated  to  the  wood; 
and  I  could  hear  her  say :  '  What  an  immense  boar !    What 
an  infidel ! ' 

14.  "  '  May  God  burn  your  great-great-grandmother ! ' 
said  the  boar.     On  hearing  the  creature  curse  her  parent, 


GIANTS   WITH  TUSKS  AND   TRUNK.  143 

she  again  stopped,  and,  lashing  her  tail,  roared  with  a 
voice  that  the  whole  wood  re-echoed ;  and  she  said, '  There 
is  no  conqueror  but  God ! '  The  boar  stamped  his  hoofs 
and  gnashed  his  tusks  again  with  rage.  His  grizzly  bris- 
tles, red  with  the  blood  of  her  mate,  stood  on  end ;  then, 
lowering  his  snout,  he  rushed  headlong  against  the  lioness, 
who,  springing  aside,  avoided  the  dread  blow. 

15.  "A  cloud  came  over  the  moon  ;  but  I  heard  every 
blow  of  the  paw  and  every  rip  of  the  tusk.     There  was  a 
dead  pause  again.     The  cloud  had  passed  and  the  heavens 
were  clear,  and  I  saw  the  lioness  with  her  fore-paw  on  the 
body  of  the  boar.     I  seized  my  gun  and  aimed  at  her 
head ;  that  was  her  last  moment. 

16.  "The  morning  dawned;    I  descended  from  the 
rock.     The  claws  of  the  lioness  still  grasped  in  death  the 
body  of  the  boar.     Many  severe  wounds  showed  that  the 
boar  had  again  fought  bravely.     The  lions  were  the  finest 
I  ever  saw,  and  I  made  good  profit  by  that  night's  work." 


CHAPTER   XXIV. 
GIANTS  WITH    TUSKS   AND   TRUNK. 

1.  THE  elephant  is  the  largest  and  most  powerful  of 
all  living  quadrupeds,  and  may  be  regarded  as  a  remnant 
of  those  gigantic  races  which  were  common  at  an  earlier 
period  of  the  earth's  history.  Specimens  have  been  found 
upward  of  twelve  feet  high,  from  the  sole  of  the  foot  to 
the  ridge  of  the  shoulder,  above  five  tons  in  weight,  and 
capable  of  carrying  enormous  burdens.  In  general  figure, 
the  animal  seems  clumsy  and  awkward ;  but  this  is  fully 
compensated  by  the  litheness  and  agility  of  his  trunk. 


144       NEIGHBORS   WITH  CLAWS  AND  HOOFS, 

His  legs  are  necessarily  massive,  for  the  support  of  such  a 
huge  body ;  but,  though  apparently  stiff ,  they  are  by  no 
means  the  unwieldy  members  which  many  suppose. 


The  Elephant  at   Worlc. 


2.  He  can  kneel  and  rise  with  facility  ;  can  use  the 
fore-feet  by  way  of  hand  in  holding  down  branches  while 
he  strips  oif  the  foliage  with  his  trunk ;  employ  his  feet 
in  stamping  his  enemies  to  death ;  and  has  been  known  to 
travel,  even  with  a  heavy  load,  from  fifty  to  seventy  miles 
in  twenty-four  hours.  His  feet,  which  are  internally  di- 
vided into  toes,  are  externally  gathered  into  a  round  cush- 
ioned mass,  protected  by  flattish  nails,  and  are  therefore 
unfitted  for  walking  on  roads  or  rocky  ground.  Less 
bulky  in  the  hinder  quarters,  his  strength  accumulates  in 
his  chest  and  neck,  the  latter  of  which  is  short  and  well 


GIANTS    WITH   TUSKS  AND    TRUNK. 


145 


adapted  for  the  support  of  the  head  md  trunk,  which  are 
his  principal  organs  of  action  and  defense. 

3.  Compared  with  the  bulk  of  his  body,  the  head  ap- 
pears small ;  but  not  so  when  we  take  into  account  the 
weight  and  size  of  its  appendages.     These  are  pendulous 
ears,  a  couple  of  gigantic  tusks  in  the  male,  and  the  pro- 
boscis or  trunk,  which,  in  large  specimens,  is  capable  of 
reaching  to  a  distance  of  seven  or  eight  feet.     The  tusks, 
which  correspond  to  the  canine  teeth  of  other  quadrupeds, 
appear  only  in  the  upper  jaw,  fully  developed  in  the  male, 
and  only  partially  in  the  female.     These  he  employs  as 
his  main  weapons  of  defense,  as  well  as  in  clearing  away 
obstructions  from  his  path,  and  in  grubbing  up  succulent 
roots,  of  which  he  is  particularly  fond.     The  eye  of  the 
elephant  is  small,  but  brilliant ;  and  though,  from  the  po- 
sition in  the  head,  it  is  incapable  of  backward  and  upward 
vision,  yet  this  defect  is  remedied,  to  a  great  extent,  by 
the  acuteness  of  his  hearing. 

4.  The  trunk 
is  of   a  tapering 
form,    and  com- 
posed of  several 
thousand  minute 
muscles,     which 
cross    and  inter- 
lace each  other, 
so  as  to   give  it 
the     power     of 
stretching      and 
contracting,      of 
turning  itself  in 

every  direction,  and  of  feeling  and  grasping  with  a  deli- 
cacy which  is  altogether  astonishing.     It  incloses  the  nos- 
trils, and  has  the  power  of  inflating  itself,  of  drawing  in 
10 


1.  African  Elephant.     2.  Indian  Elephant. 


146       NEIGHBORS   WITH   CLAWS  AND  HOOFS. 

water,  or  of  ejecting  it  with  violence ;  it  also  terminates 
on  the  upper  side  in  a  sort  of  fleshy  finger,  and  below  in 
a  similar  protuberance,  which  answers  to  the  opposing 
power  of  the  thumb,  and  thus  it  can  lift  the  minutest 
object. 

5.  Endowed   with  exquisite   sensibility,  nearly  eight 
feet  in  length,  and  stout  in  proportion  to  the  massive  size 
of  the  whole  animal,  this  organ,  at  the  volition  of  the  ele- 
phant, will  uproot  trees  or  gather  grass,  raise  a  piece  of 
artillery  or  pick  up  a  comfit,  kill  a  man  or  brush  off  a  fly. 
It  conveys  the  food  to  the  mouth,  and  pumps  up  the  enor- 
mous draughts  of  water,  which,  by  its  recurvature,  are 
turned  into  and  driven  down  the  capacious  throat  or  show- 
ered over  the  body.     Its  length  supplies  the  place  of  a 
long  neck,  which  would  have  been  incompatible  with  the 
support  of  the  large  head  and  weighty  tusks  of  the  animal. 

6.  The  elephant  is  a  pachyderm,  and  its  skin,  like  that 
of  the  horse,  is  extremely  sensitive,  so  that  it  feels  the 
attacks  of  the  tiniest  insects;  hence   he  takes   care   to 
syringe  it  with  his  trunk,  cover  it  with  dust  and  saliva,  or 
fan  it  with  a  leafy  bough.    The  skin  has  muscles  attached 
to  it,  so  that  the  elephant,  like  the  horse,  can,  by  a  sort  of 
quivering  motion,  shake  off  flies  and  loose  particles  of  dust. 

7.  In  its  mode  of  life  the  elephant  is  strictly  herbiv- 
orous, feeding  upon  grass,  young  shoots  of  trees,  and  suc- 
culent roots.     His  whole  conformation  is  eminently  for 
such  subsistence,  and  points  to  the  tropical  valley  and  fer- 
tile river- side  as  the  localities  where  he  can  enjoy,  at  all 
seasons,  herbage  and  water  in  abundance.   Though  created 
for  the  jungle  and  forest,  where  heat  and  moisture  are  the 
chief  vegetative  agents,  yet  the  elephant,  by  his  weight 
and  size,  is  excluded  from  the  swamp.     He  bathes  in  the 
river  and  lake  only  where  the  bottom  is  firm  and  secure, 
and  rolls  on  the  sward  or  in  the  forest  glade.    Confined  to 


GIANTS    WITH  lUSKS  AND   TRUNK. 


147 


the  regions  of  an  almost  perpetual  summer,  he  grubs  up 
roots  with  his  tusks,  pulls  down  branches  with  his  trunk 
to  browse  on  their  frliage,  or  feeds  on  the  luxuriant 
herbage,  enjoying  greater  ease  and  security  than  any 


TJie  Elephant  and  the  Tiger. 


other  quadruped.  His  great  size  and  strength  place  him. 
beyond  the  dread  of  other  animals ;  and,  like  all  the 
herbivora,  he  is  of  mild  disposition,  having  no  occasion  to 
wage  war  upon  others  for  the  satisfaction  of  his  natural 
cravings. 

8.  The  home  of  the  wild  elephant  is  in  Central  and 
Southern  Africa  and  in  India.  The  most  effective  way 
of  capturing  them  is  by  means  of  inclosures,  into  which 
a  herd  is  driven  and  kept  until  tamed.  In  preparing  for 
the  drives  of  a  large  herd,  the  hunters,  numbering  from 


148       NEIGHBORS    WITH   CLAWS  AND  HOOFS. 

two  to  five  hundred,  proceed  to  the  region  where  the  wild 
elephants  are  known  to  be.  Here,  in  some  convenient 
place,  they  form  an  inclosure,  which  consists  of  a  deep 
ditch  or  a  strong  palisade  of  timber.  The  elephant  has 
a  mortal  fear  of  a  ditch,  and,  when  it  encounters  one,  it 
will  follow  along  its  bank  for  miles  rather  than  attempt 
to  cross  it.  Where  the  ground  is  not  favorable  for  dig- 
ging, a  barricade  of  posts  and  logs  is  erected.  This  in- 
closure is  quite  extensive,  and  has  within  it  a  number  of 
large  trees.  The  opening  into  this  space  is  narrow,  and 
the  avenue  leading  to  it  has  converging  lines  of  ditches 
•  and  barricades,  which  at  their  outer  angle  are  wide  apart. 

9.  The  wild  elephants  in  the  jungle  are  then  carefully 
surrounded  by  the  hunters,  and  by  skillful  and  judicious 
handling  are  gradually  driven  toward  the  entrance  of  the 
pen.     When  once  surrounded,  great  fires  are  kept  up  on 
the  opposite  side  to  keep  them  from  breaking  out  and 
escaping.     If  the  herd  is  large,  it  may  take  several  days 
to  bring  them  within  the  entrance  of  the  inclosure.     The 
hunters  then  rapidly  close  in  upon  them,  and,  as  all  dan- 
ger seems  to  be  in  the  rear,  they  press  forward  through 
the  narrow   entrance,  which  is   immediately  closed   by 
dropping  a  strong  portcullis  from  above.     The  elephants 
thus  entrapped  are  then  approached  by  the  aid  of  tame 
elephants,  and  secured  by  fastening  ropes  around  their 
legs  and  tying  them  to  trees.     By  skillful  and  kindly 
handling  the  wild  elephants  become  tame  in  the  course  of 
one  or  two  weeks. 

10.  Elephants  are  trained  to  do  a  great  many  different 
kinds  of  work.     "  To  give  an  idea  of  these  labors,"  says 
Bingley,  "  it  is  sufficient  to  remark  that  all  the  tuns,  sacks, 
and  bales  transported  from  one  place  to  another  in  India, 
are  carried  by  elephants ;  that  they  carry  burdens  on  their 
bodies,  their  necks,  their  tusks,  and  even  in  their  mouthsj 


GIANTS    WITH  TUSKS  AND    TRUNK.  149 

by  giving  them  tlie  end  of  a  rope,  which  they  hold  fast  in 
their  teeth  ;  that,  uniting  sagacity  to  strength,  they  never 
break  anything  committed  to  their  charge  ;  that  from  the 
banks  of  the  rivers  they  put  their  bundles  into  boats,  with- 
out wetting  them,  laying  them  down  gently,  and  arrang- 
ing them  where  they  ought  to  be  placed ;  that  when  dis- 
posed in  the  places  where  their  masters  direct,  they  try 
with  their  trunks  whether  the  goods  are  properly  stowed ; 
and,  if  a  tun  or  cask  rolls,  they  go  of  their  own  accord  in 
quest  of  stones  to  prop  and  render  it  firm." 

11.  The  elephant  is  intelligent  and  sagacious,  and  on 
occasions  can  do  many  extraordinary  things.     It  readily 
obeys  its  keeper,  and,  if  treated  kindly,  has  a  strong  affec- 
tion for  him.     For  so  large  an  animal,  it  is  timid,  and  its 
submission  to  man  has  an  element  of  fear  as  well  as  love. 
It  is  subject  to  fits  of  rage,  when  no  one  is  safe  within  its 
reach.     Innumerable  stories  are  told  illustrative  of  the  in- 
telligence, gratitude,  memory,  resentment,  and  attachment 
of  elephants.     We  have  room  for  only  one.     "An  ele- 
phant in  Ajmeer,  which  frequently  passed  through  the 
bazaar,  or  market,  as  he  went  by  a  certain  herb-woman 
always  received  from  her  a  mouthful  of  greens.     At 
length  he  was  seized  with  one  of  his  periodical  fits  of 
rage,  broke  from  his  fetters,  and,  running  through  the 
market,  put  the  crowd  to  flight,  and  among  others  this 
woman,  who  in  her  haste  forgot  a  little  child  she  had 
brought  with  her.     The   animal,  gratefully  recollecting 
the  spot  where  his  benefactress  was  wont  to  sit,  laid  aside 
his  fury,  and,  taking  up  the  infant  gently  in  his  trunk, 
placed  it  in  safety  on  a  stall  before  a  neighboring  house." 

12.  The  tapir,  a  distant  cousin  of  the  elephant,  inhab- 
its the  tropical  forests  of  South  America,  and  the  Malayan 
Peninsula  of  Asia.     It  is  about  as  large  as  a  donkey  of 
moderate  size,  and  it  is  provided  with  a  movable  probes- 


150       NEIGHBORS    WITH  CLAWS  AND  HOOFS. 

eis,  something  between  the  trunk  of  an  elephant  and  the 
snout  of  a  hog.    It  is  omnivorous,  but  it  feeds  principally 


The  Tapir. 

upon  the  tender  leaves  and  stalks  of  plants — coming  out 
at  night,  and  sleeping  during  the  greater  part  of  the  day. 
In  form  and  structure  it  is  like  the  hog,  and,  also  like 
that  animal,  it  delights  to  wallow  in  the  mud.  It  has 
formidable  teeth  for  defense,  great  powers  of  swimming, 
and,  with  its  head  as  a  wedge,  it  can  easily  penetrate 
dense  jungles,  its  thick  hide  protecting  it  from  injury. 
Prepared  in  this  way  for  fight  or  flight,  it  meets  but  few 
enemies  from  which  it  can  not  escape.  In  disposition  the 
tapir  is  like  the  elephant,  and  is  easily  tamed. 


THE  MONARCH  OF  AFRICAN   WATERS.        151 


CHAPTER    XXV. 

THE    MONARCH    OF    AFRICAN    WATERS. 

1.  ON  the  5th  of  November,  1604,  the  whole  of  Lon- 
don was  in  a  state  of  commotion  at  hearing  of  the  dis- 
covery of  "  Guy  Fawkes  "  sitting  in  a  cellar  under  the 
Houses  of  Parliament,  on  a  powder- barrel,  with  a  match 
in  his  hand,  his  intention  being  to  blow  up  James  I  and 
the  House  of  Lords.     On  the  5th  of  November.  1872, 
two  hundred  and  sixty-eight  years  later,  London  was  again 
put  in  a  state  of  commotion  by  the  appearance  of  an- 
other "  Guy  Fawkes  "  ;  this  time,  however,  not  in  the 
cellar  under  the  Houses  of  Parliament,  but  in  the  straw 
by  the  side  of  his  mother,  in  her  den  at  the  Zoological 
Gardens.     This  celebrated  animal,  "  Guy  Fawkes,"  is  so 
called  on  account  of  the  date  of  his  birth. 

2.  A  few  days  after  the  birth  of  the  young  one,  Mr 
Bartlett  was  watching  it  swimming  about  the  tank.      It 


_ 

—  n^ts-zr^: 

The  Hippopotamus. 


152        NEIGHBORS    WITH  CLAWS  AXJ)  HOOFS. 

then  suddenly  dived,  but  did  not  reappear  for  such  a  long 
time,  that  he  thought  it  had  had  a  fit,  and  was  lying 
drowned  at  the  bottom  of  the  tank.  He  therefore  made 
arrangements  to  have  the  large  plug  pulled  out — this 
plug  had  been  expressly  fixed  for  this  purpose — and  to 
run  off  the  tank  quickly,  so  as  to  resuscitate  the  little- 
beast,  if  possible.  They  were  just  going  to  do  this,  when 
Master  "  G-uy  Fawkes  "  suddenly  reappeared,  shaking  his 
funny  little  horse-like  ears,  from  the  bottom  of  his  tank, 
with  a  hippopotamic  grin  on  his  face,  as  much  as  to  say : 
"  Don't  be  frightened,  I  am  all  right ;  you  don't  know 
all  about  me  yet."  The  little  beast  had  remained,  with- 
out blowing  or  taking  breath,  actually  under  water  for 
nearly  twenty  minutes.  The  parents  have  never  been 
known  to  be  under  water  much  over  three  minutes. 

3.  I  suspect  Nature  has  given  this  wonderful  power 
of  remaining  so  long  under  water  to  the  young  hippopot- 
amus, first  of  all,  to  enable  it  to  suck — when  the  water 
has  been  clear,  Mr.  Bartlett  has  frequently  seen  it  suck- 
ing under  water ;  and,  secondly,  in  order  that  it  may  be 
concealed  from  its  enemies,  though  I  am  not  at  all  certain 
but  that  a  large  crocodile  would  seize  and  swallow  a  young 
hippopotamus,  as  a  jack  would  swallow  a  roach. 

4.  Master  Guy  Fawkes,  nevertheless,  had  one  day  a 
narrow  escape  of  his  life.     In  order  to  clean  out  the  tank, 
one  fine,  sunny  morning,  the  mother  and  child  were  let 
out  into  the  pond  outside.     They  both  remained  in  the 
water  as  long  as  it  suited  them,  and  then  the  mother 
walked  out,  with  that  peculiar  stately  gait  which  distin- 
guishes this  gigantic  animal.     The  little  one  attempted  to 
follow,  but,  unfortunately,  he  chose  a  landing-place  at  the 
corner  nearest  the  giraffe's  inclosure,  just  at  the  very  point 
where  there  were  no  steps.   The  poor  little  fellow  struggled 
hard  to  get  out,  but  could  not,  falling  back  into  the  water. 


THE  MONARCH   OF  AFRICAN   WATERS.        153 

5.  His  mother,  seeing  the  distress  of  her  child,  imme- 
diately went    back    into    the  water,  and,   diving  down, 
brought  him  up  from  the  bottom.     She  then  supported 
his  head  above  the  water,  in  order  to  give  him  time  to 
breathe.     For  nearly  half  an  hour  Mr.  Bartlett  and  the 
keepers  were  in  agonies.     Of  course,  they  dared  not  go  to 
help  Guy  Fawkes,  and  there  was  no  form  of  life-buoy 
they  could  throw  to  the  struggling  creature.     At  last  the 
young  one  made  a  more  vigorous  effort  than  ever,  when 
simultaneously  the  old  one  gave  him  a  push  with  her  tre- 
mendous head,  and  the  little  animal's  life  was  thus  saved. 
So  we  see  that  the  hippopotamus  is  no  fool ;  her  instinct 
— mind,  rather — told  her  how  to  save  her  young  one. 

6.  This  little  animal  is  about  the  size  and  shape  of  an 
ordinary  bacon-pig,  but  the  color  is  something  of  a  pinkish- 
slate.     He  knows  his  keeper  very  well ;  and,  when  he  has 
had  his  dinner,  is  as  playful  as  a  kitten,  popping  and  jump- 
ing about  his  den,  and  throwing  up  mouthfuls  of  hay  like 
a  young  calf.     When  first  born,  he  was  small  enough  to 
come  through  the  bars  on  to  the  straw  outside  his  den, 
but  soon  he  had  grown  so  much  that  he  could  not  get 
through.     He  used  to  put  his  head  through  the  bars,  and 
allow  Prescott,  the  keeper,  to  rub  his  gums. 

7.  I  now  proceed  to  make  some  general  remarks  about 
hippopotami.     The  hippopotamus  is  of  some  value  com- 
mercially.    The  skin  is  made  by  the  natives  into  whips, 
which,  I  believe,  are  used  to  beat  delinquents  in  Egypt ; 
and  I  am  told  that  they  are  exceedingly  formidable  weap- 
ons.   To  make  the  whip,  the  skin  is  cut  into  slips,  about  live 
or  six  feet  long,  one  end  being  pointed,  the  other  broad  ; 
it  is  then  coiled  upon  itself,  and  afterward  dried  in  the 
sun ;  and,  when  finished,  is  light,  dry,  and  elastic.     The 
teeth  of  the  hippopotamus  are  also  of  commercial  value. 

8.  Their  structure  is  very  peculiar.     I  have  a  tooth 


154       NEIGHBORS    WITH   CLAWS  AND  HOOFS. 

now  before  me ;  it  is  hollow  at  one  end,  like  the  tusk  of 
an  elephant.  "When  the  animal  was  alive,  this  hollow  was 
filled  with  soft  pulp.  The  tooth  is  always  growing  for- 
ward as  the  pulp  solidifies  behind.  The  reader  can  easily 
see  how  this  is,  by  examining  the  front  tooth  of  the  lower 
jaw  of  the  next  boiled  rabbit  he  has  for  dinner.  The  out- 
side of  the  tooth  of  the  hippopotamus  is  formed  of  a  glass- 
like,  hard  enamel ;  it  is  exceedingly  dense,  hard,  and  flint- 
like.  I  have  just  taken  down  my  old  regimental  sword, 
and  find  that,  by  striking  it  at  the  proper  angle,  a  shower 
of  sparks  fly  away  from  the  tooth,  like  the  sparks  from  a 
boy's  "  fire-devil,"  made  in  form  of  a  pyramid  with  wet 
gunpowder.  The  teeth  of  the  hippopotami,  as  in  the  rab- 
bit, are  sometimes  liable  to  deformity.  In  the  College  of 
Surgeons  there  is  the  tooth  of  a  hippopotamus  which  has 
grown  nearly  into  the  form  of  a  circle. 

9.  Not  long  ago  the  old  male  hippopotamus  at  the 
Gardens  suffered  from  a  decayed  tooth.     Mr.  Bartlett, 
with  his  ever-ready  talent  in  meeting  all  emergencies,  de- 
termined to  pull  out  the  tooth.     He  ordered  the  black- 
smith to  make  a  pair  of  "  tooth-forceps,"  and  a  tremendous 
pair  they  were.     The  "bite"  of  the  forceps  just  fitted 
the  tooth  of  the  hippo.     By  skillful  management,  Bartlett 
contrived  to  seize  Master  Hippo's  tooth,  as  he  put  his 
head  through  the  bars.     The  hippo,  roaring  frightfully, 
pulled  one  way,  Bartlett  and  the  keepers  pulled  the  other, 
and  at  last  out  came  the  tooth,  and  hippo  soon  got  well 
again. 

10.  No  animal  in  the  world  is  made  without  purpose, 
and  we  always  find  that  the  structure  of  an  animal  is  ad- 
mirably adapted  to  its  mode  of  life.     I  believe  that  one 
of  the  principal  duties  which  the  elephant  and  rhinoceros 
unconsciously  perform  is  to  cut  paths  through  the  dense 
forest  and  jungles  in  which  they  live.     The  home  of  the 


THK  MONARCH  GF  AFRICAN   WATERS.       155 

hippopotamus  is  among  the  aquatic  forests  at  the  bottoms 
of  large  rivers,  such  as  the  upper  Nile.  It  is  probable 
that,  in  the  days  of  Moses,  these  animals  abounded  in 
Lower  Egypt,  i  believe  they  do  not  now  occur  in  any 
part  of  the  Nile  below  the  cataracts,  the  headquarters  be- 
ing the  central  and  southern  parts  of  Africa  only ;  but  I 
am  afraid  that,  as  civilization  increases,  so  will  the  hippo- 
potamus retreat. 

11.  This  huge  animal  spends  most  of  its  time  in  the 
water,  and  it  comes  out  to  feed  at  night.     Above  the 
cataracts  of  the  Nile  they  are  very  destructive  to  crops, 
as  they  eat  an  immense  quantity,  and  trample  down  much 
more  than  they  eat.     The  stomach  contains  as  much  as 
five  or  six  bushels,  and  the  large  intestine  is  eight  inches 
in  diameter.     They  do  not  grind  their  food  much,  but 
rather  munch  it  up.     The  reader  should  be  curious  to  no- 
tice this  at  the  Zoological  Gardens.     When  the  old  hippo 
opens  its  mouth,  a  good-sized  baby  could  as  easily  be  put 
in  as  one  puts  a  letter  into  a  letter-box.     As  the  elephant 
makes  passes  in  the  jungles,  so  it  appears  to  me  that  one 
of  the  chief  offices  of  the  hippopotamus  is  to  keep  in 
check  the  dense  vegetation  in  tropical  climates,  which,  if 
allowed  to  accumulate,  would  block  up  the  long  reaches 
of  rivers,  and  ultimately  turn  the  flat  lands  into  useless, 
fever-breeding  swamps  ;  so  that  we  see  that  this  gigantic 
animal  is  of  very  considerable  economic  importance. 

12.  This  living  machine  for  the  destruction  of  fresh- 
water vegetation  is  admirably  adapted  to  its  work.    Nature 
has  not  given  him  any  hair,  as  that  would  be  an  incum- 
brance  to  him,  and  would  not  well  conduce  to  his  comfort 
when  wallowing  in  the  mud.      The   skin  is,  therefore, 
somewhat  like  that  of  a  pig.     If  the  animal  had  not  some 
protection  against  the  sudden  changes  of  temperature,  in- 
duced by  his  going  in  and  out  of  the  water  so  frequently. 


150       NEIGHBORS    WITH  CLAWS  AND  HOOFS. 

he  would  always  be  either  shivering  or  else  unbearably 
hot.  Nature,  therefore,  has  given  him  a  thick  layer  of  fat 
between  the  skin  and  the  muscles. 

13.  In  the  water  the  hippopotamus,  though  a  gigantic 
beast,  shows  very  little  of  his  carcass.    On  referring  to  the 
engraving,  it  will  be  observed  that  the  nostrils,  eyes,  and 
ears  are  on  the  same  level.   The  nostrils  are  each  provided 
with  a  wonderful  valve,  by  means  of  which  he  can  open 
his  nostrils  to  breathe,  or  shut  them  up  to  exclude  the 
water.     This  beautiful  mechanism  is  worked  by  what  is 
called  a  "  sphincter-muscle."     Header,  your  own  eyes  are 
worked  by  a  sphincter-muscle.     Stand  opposite  the  look- 
ing-glass and  wink  at  yourself  ;  you  will  then  see  a  sphinc- 
ter-muscle in  operation. 

14.  You  do  not  require  a  sphincter  -  muscle  to  your 
nose,  because  you  are  not  amphibious.   We  find,  however, 
that  the  seal,  like  the  hippopotamus,  can  close  his  nose  at 
will  by  a  sphincter-muscle.     Go  and  look  at  the  seal  in 
the   Zoological   Garden.      The  valve  which   works  the 
blow-hole  of  the  whale  and  porpoise  is  of  an  analogous 
character.     Strange  to  say,  we  find  an  animal  that  is  not 
amphibious  which  has  his  nostrils  protected  by  this  curi- 
ous and  beautiful  valve.     But  you  will,  probably,  never 
guess  what  that  animal  is.     Well,  it  is  the  camel — the 
"ship  of  the  desert."     In  the  desert,  where  the  camel 
lives,  there  are  often  "sand-storms,"  and  the  Creator  has 
provided  the  poor  camel  with  this  wonderful  structure, 
to  save  him  from  suffocation  when  these  terrible  sand- 
storms occur. 

Fran  Jo  BucTcland. 


THE   GIANT  PIG    OF  THE  JUNGLE. 


157 


CHAPTER   XXVI. 

THE    GIANT    PIG    Of   THE   JUNGLE. 

1.  BEASING  in  mind  that  the  rhinoceros  of  Asia  has 
one  horn,  and  that  of  Africa  has  two  horns,  we  can  scarce- 
ly find  a  more  spirited  or  complete  description  of  this  ugly 
beast  than  that  given  by  Hartwig,  in  his  "  Tropical  World  "  : 
"  The  rhinoceros,"  he  says,  "  has  about  the  same  range  as 
the  elephant,  but  is  found  also  in  the  Island  of  Java,  where 
the  latter  is  unknown.  Although  not  possessed  of  the 


/  -=^~* 

The  Rhinoceros  and  its  Neighbors. 


ferocity  of  carnivorous  animals,  this  pachyderm  is  com- 
pletely wild  and  untamable  ;  the  image  of  a  gjg&afeie  hog, 


or  '£**•* 

IVERSI 


158       NEIGHBORS    WITH  CLAWS  AND  HOOFS. 

without  intelligence,  feeling,  or  docility,  and,  though 
emulating  the  elephant  in  size,  is  infinitely  inferior  in 
point  of  sagacity.  The  latter,  with  his  beautiful,  intelli- 
gent eye,  awakens  the  sympathy  of  man ;  while  the  rhi- 
noceros is  the  very  image  of  brutal  violence  and  stupidity. 

2.  "  It  was  formerly  supposed  that  Africa  had  but  one 
rhinoceros;  but  the  researches  of  modern  travelers  have 
discovered  no  less  than  four  different  species,  two  white 
and  two  black,  each  of  them  with  two  horns.     In  both 
species  the  upper  lip  projects  over  the  lower,  and  is  capa- 
ble of  being  extended  like  that  of  the  giraffe,  thus  en- 
abling the  animal  to  grasp  the  branches  on  whose  foliage 
he  intends  to  feed.     The  black  species  are  extremely  ill- 
natured,  and,  with  the  exception  of  the  buffalo,  are  the 
most  dangerous  of  all  the  animals  of  South  Africa.     The 

o 

white  species  are  distinguished  by  one  of  the  horns  attain- 
ing the  prodigious  length  of  four  feet. 

3.  u  Although  the  black  and  white  rhinoceroses  are 
members  of  the  same  family,  their  mode  of  living  and 
disposition  are  totally  different.     The  food  of  the  former 
consists  almost  entirely  of  roots,  which  they  dig  up  with 
their  larger  horn,  or  of  the  branches  and  sprouts  of  the 
thorny  acacia ;  while  the  latter  live  exclusively  on  grasses. 
Perhaps  in  consequence  of  their  milder  food  they  are  of 
a  timid,  unsuspecting  nature,  which  renders  them  an  easy 
prey,  so  that  they  are  fast  melting  away  before  the  march 
of  the  European  trader ;   while  the  black  species,  from 
their  greater  ferocity  and  wariness,  maintain  their  place 
much  longer  than  their  more  timid  relations.     The  flesh 
of  the  black  rhinoceros  has  a  bitter  taste,  and,  like  the 
generality  of  ill-natured  animals,  not  an  ounce  of  fat  on 
the  bones ;  while  that  of  the  white  species  is  juicy  and 
well -flavored. 

4.  "  The   shape  of   the   rhinoceros   is   unwieldy  and 


THE  GIANT  PIG    OF  THE  JUNGLE.  159 

massive  ;  its  vast  paunch  hangs  down  nearly  to  the 
ground  ;  its  short  legs  are  strong,  like  columns,  and  have 
three  toes  on  each  foot ;  the  misshapen  head  has  long  and 
erect  ears,  and  ludicrously  small  eyes ;  the  skin,  which  is 
completely  naked,  with  the  exception  of  some  coarse 
bristles  at  the  tail  and  the  upper  end  of  the  ears,  is  com- 
paratively smooth  in  the  African  species,  but  extremely 
rough  in  the  Asiatic,  hanging  in  large  folds  about  the 
animal,  like  a  mantle.  From  the  snout  to  the  tip  of  the 
tail  the  African  rhinoceros  attains  a  length  of  from  fifteen 
to  sixteen  feet,  a  girth  of  from  ten  to  twelve  feet,  and  a 
weight  of  from  four  thousand  to  five  thousand  pounds  ; 
but,  in  spite  of  its  ponderous  and  clumsy  proportions,  it 
is  able  to  speed  like  lightning,  particularly  when  pursued. 
It  then  seeks  the  nearest  wood,  and  dashes  with  all  its 
might  through  the  thicket. 

5.  "  The  rhinocercs  is  endowed  with  an  extraordinary 
acuteness  of  smell  and  hearing  ;  he  listens  with  attention 
to  every  sound,  and  is  able  to  scent  from  a  great  distance 
the  approach  of  man  ;  but,  as  the  range  of  his  small,  deep- 
set  eyes  is  impeded  by  his  unwieldy  horns,  he  can  only 
see  what  is  immediately  before  him,  so  that  if  one  be  to 
leeward  of  him  it  is  not  difficult  to  approach  within  a  few 
paces.     To  make  up  for  the  imperfection  of  its  sight,  it  is 
frequently  accompanied  by  a  beautiful  green-backed  and 
blue-winged  bird,  about  the  size  of  a  jay,  who  warns  it  of 
approaching  danger  by  its  cry. 

6.  "  '  Many  a  time,'  says  Gordon  Gumming,   '  have 
these  watchful  attendants  disappointed  me  in  my  stalk. 
They  are  the  best  friends  the  rhinoceros  has,  and  rarely 
fail  to  awaken  him,  even  in  his  soundest  nap.     He  per- 
fectly understands  their  warning,  and,  springing  to  his 
feet,  he  generally  first  looks  about  him  in  every  direction, 
after  which  he  invariably  makes  off.    I  have  often  hunted 


160       NEIGHBORS   WITH  CLA  WS  AND  HOOFS. 

a  rhinoceros  on  horseback,  which  led  me  a  chase  of  many 
miles,  and  required  a  number  of  shots  before  he  fell, 
during  which  chase  several  of  these  birds  remained  with 
their  ugly  friend  to  the  last. 

7.  "  '  They  reminded  me  of  mariners  on  the  deck  of 
some  bark,  sailing  on  the  ocean,  for  they  perched  along 
his  back  and  sides,  and,  as  each  of  my  bullets  told  on  the 
shoulder  of  the  rhinoceros,  they  ascended  about  six  feet 
into  the  air,  uttering  their  harsh  cry  of  alarm,  and  then 
resumed  their  position.     It  sometimes  happened  that  the 
lower  branches  of  trees  under  which  the  rhinoceros  passed 
swept  them  from  their  living  deck,  but  they  always  recov- 
ered their  former  station ;   they  also  adhere  to  the  rhi- 
noceros during  the  night.    I  have  often  shot  these  animals 
at  midnight,  when  drinking  at  the   fountains,  and  the 
birds,  imagining  they  were  asleep,  remained  with  them 
till  morning,  and  on  my  approaching,  before  taking  flight, 
they  exerted  themselves  to  their  utmost  to  awaken  the 
rhinoceros  from  his  deep  sleep.' 

8.  "  The  black  rhinoceroses  are  of  a  gloomy,  melan- 
choly temper,  and  not  seldom  fall  into  paroxysms  of  rage 
without  any  evident  cause,  often  plowing  up  the  ground 
for  several  yards  with  their  horns,  and  assaulting  large 
bushes  in  the  most  violent  manner.     Seeing  the  creatures 
in  their  wild  haunts  cropping  the  bushes,  or  quietly  mov- 
ing through  the  plains,  you  might  take  them  for  the  most 
inoifensive  animals  in  all  Africa ;   but,  when  roused  to 
passion,  there  is  nothing  more  terrific  on  earth.     All  the 
beasts  of  the  wilderness  are  afraid  of  him.      The  lion 
silently  retires  from  his  path,  and  even  the  elephant  is 
glad  to  get  out  of  his  way.     Yet  this  brutal  and  stupidly 
hoggish  animal  is  distinguished  by  its  parental  love,  and 
the  tenderness  which  it  bestows  on  its  young  is  returned 
with  equal  affection. 


THE  GIANT  PIG   OF  THE  JUNGLE.  161 

9.  "  As  is  the  case  with  many  other  tropical  animals, 
the  huge  beast  awakens  to  a  more  active  life  after  sunset. 
It  then  hastens  to  the  lake  or  river  to  slake  its  thirst,  or 
to  wallow  in  the  rmid,  thus  covering  its  hide  with  a  thick 
coat  of  clay  against  the  attacks  of  flies.    During  the  night 
it  rambles  over  a  great  extent  of  country,  but  soon  after 
sunrise  seeks  shelter  against  the  heat  under  the  shade  of  a 
tree  or  rock,  where  it  spends  the  greater  part  of  the  day 
in  sleep,  either  stretched  at  full  length  or  in  a  standing 
position.     Thus  seen  from  a  distance  it  might  easily  be 
mistaken  for  a  huge  block  of  stone. 

10.  "  From  what  has  been  related  of  the  fury  of  the 
rhinoceros,  its  pursuit  must  be  attended  with  considerable 
danger,  and  thus  the  annals  of  the  wild  sports  of  Southern 
Africa  are  full  of  hair-breadth  escapes  from  its  terrific 
charge.     Once  Mr.  Oswell,  having  lodged  a  ball  in  the 
body  of  a  huge  white  rhinoceros,  was  surprised  to  see  the 
beast,  instead  of  seeking  safety  in  flight,  as  is  generally 
the  case  with  this  inoffensive  species,  suddenly  stop  short, 
and,  having  eyed  him  curiously  for  a  second  or  two,  walk 
slowly  toward  him.     Though  never  dreaming  of  danger, 
he  instinctively  turned  his  horse's  head  away ;  but,  strange 
to  say,  this  creature,  usually  so  docile,  now  absolutely  re- 
fused to  give  him  his  head. 

11.  "When  at  last  he  did  so  it  was  too  late,  for,  al- 
though the  rhinoceros  had  only  been  walking,  the  distance 
was  now  so  small  that  contact  was  unavoidable.    In  another 
moment  the  brute  bent  low  his  head,  and,  with  a  thrust 
upward,  struck  his  horn  into  the  ribs  of  the  horse  with 
such  force  as  to  penetrate  to  the  very  saddle  on  the  oppo- 
site side,  when  the  rider  felt  its  sharp  point  against  his 
leg.     The  violence  of  the  blow  was  so  tremendous  as  to 
cause  the  horse  to  make  a  complete  somersault  in  the  air, 
coming  down  heavily  on  his  back. 


162       NEIGHBORS   WITH  CLAWS  AND  HOOFS. 

12.  "  The  rider  was,  of  course,  violently  precipitated 
to  the  ground.     While  thus  prostrated  he  saw  the  horn 
of  the  monster  alongside  of  him  ;  but,  without  attempting 
to  do  any  further  mischief,  the  brute  started  off  at  a  canter 
from  the  scene  of  action.     If  the  rhinoceros  imagined  it 
had  come  off  victor,  it  was   soon  undeceived,  for  Mr. 
Oswell,  rushing  upon  one  of  his  companions,  who  by  this 
time  had  come  up,  and,  unceremoniously  pulling  him  off 
his  horse,  leaped  into  the  saddle,  and,  without  a  hat,  his 
face  streaming  with  blood,  was  quickly  in  pursuit  of  the 
beast,  which  he  soon  had  the  satisfaction  to  see  stretched 
lifeless  at  his  feet." 

13.  In  the  rhinoceros  and  the  hippopotamus  we  see 
interesting  links  in  the  chain  which  holds  together  the 
great  kingdom  of  animals.      The  hippopotamus,  living 
both  in  the  water  and  on  the  land,  and,  by  its  peculiar 
toes,  bears  a  resemblance  to  the  walrus  and  seal  of  the 
cetacean  group  on  the  one  hand,  and  points  to  the  pig 
and  larger  herb-eating  animals  on  the  other.      The  rhi- 
noceros, in  its  general  character  and  in  its  three  cetacean 
toes,  looks  toward  the  hippopotamus  on  the  one  side,  and, 
in  its  life  on  the  land  and  its  way  of  feeding,  to  the  higher 
animals  of  the  land  on  the  other. 


CHAPTER   XXVII. 
THE   FIFTIETH    BIRTHDAY   OF  AGASSIZ. 

1.  IT  was  fifty  years  ago, 

In  the  pleasant  month  of  May, 
In  the  beautiful  Pays  de  Yaud, 
A  child  in  its  cradle  lay. 


THE  FIFTIETH  BIRTHDAY  OF  AGAS8IZ.      163 

2.  And  Nature,  the  old  nurse,  took 

The  child  upon  her  knee, 
Saying,  "  Here  is  a  story-book 
Thy  Father  has  written  for  thee." 

3.  "  Come,  wander  with  me,"  she  said, 

"  Into  regions  yet  untrod  ; 
And  read  what  is  still  unread 
In  the  manuscripts  of  God." 

4.  And  he  wandered  away  and  away 

With  Nature,  the  dear  old  nurse, 
Who  sang  to  him  night  and  day 
The  rhymes  of  the  universe. 

5.  And  whenever  the  way  seemed  long, 

Or  his  heart  began  to  fail, 
She  would  sing  a  more  wonderful  song 
Or  tell  a  more  marvelous  tale. 

6.  So  she  keeps  him  still  a  child, 

And  will  not  let  him  go, 
Though  at  times  his  heart  beats  wild 
For  the  beautiful  Pays  de  Yaud ; 

7.  Though  at  times  he  hears  in  his  dreams 

The  Kanz  des  Yaches  of  old, 

And  the  rush  of  mountain  streams 

From  glaciers  clear  and  cold  ; 

3.  And  the  mother  at  home  says,  "  Hark  ! 

For  his  voice  I  listen  and  yearn ; 
It  is  growing  late  and  dark, 
And  my  boy  does  not  return." 

Longfellow* 


164:       NEIGHBORS   WITH  CLA  WS  AND  HOOFS. 

CHAPTER   XXVIII. 
OUR    FARM-YARD    MILK-GIVERS. 

"  In  the  furrowed  land 
The  toilsome  and  patient  oxen  stand ; 
Lifting  the  yoke-encumbered  head, 
With  their  dilated  nostrils  spread, 
They  silently  inhale 
The  clover-scented  gale, 
And  the  vapors  that  arise 
From  the  well-watered  and  smoking  soil. 
For  this  rest  in  the  furrow  after  toil 
Their  large  and  lustrous  eyes 
Seem  to  thank  the  Lord 
More  than  man's  spoken  word." 

1.  WE  owe  a  debt  of  gratitude  to  the  poets  who,  like 
Longfellow  in  these  graphic  lines,  have  preserved  to  us 
pictures  of  animal  life  now  rapidly  passing  out  of  fact. 
The  time  has  been  when  the  farm  scene  was  incomplete 
without  the  patient  oxen  laboring  before  their  load,  rest- 
ing in  the  furrow,  or  reposing  in  the  shade  chewing  their 
comforting  cud,  and  looking  out  of  soft  brown  eyes.    Now 
the  ox  is  scarcely  to  be  seen,  except  as  a  grazer  in  the  herd 
or  hanging  in  the  butcher's  stall.     His  place  is  supplied 
by  the  horse,  or  by  the  long-eared,  nimble-footed  prosy 
mule ;  the  cow  remains.     Her  golden  products  still  shine 
on  the  farmer's  table,  and  she  sends  her  influence  into 
crowded  cities  in  the  form  of  mild,  diluent,  and  harmless 
fluid. 

2.  To  write  the  history  of  the  ox  or  cow  is  to  trace 
the  history  of  man.     Who  tirst  caught  and  tamed  the  wild 
beasts  that  were  the  original  parents  of  our  domestic  cat- 
tle we  shall  never  know.     Egyptians,  Assyrians,  Hebrews, 
Greeks,  Gauls,  and  Britons,  all  had  cattle  for  the  yoke 


OUR  FARM-YARD  MILK-GIVERS. 


165 


and  the  pail.     Everywhere  and  in  all  ages  this  animal  has 
been  an  indispensable  servant  of  man's  home  and  life. 


Beside  the  Woodland  Pool. 


It  has  given  him  a  back  for  burdens,  a  shoulder  for  pow- 
er, meat  and  milk  for  food,  leather  for  clothing,  and  horn, 
glue,  and  hair  for  other  necessary  uses. 

3.  Under  the  influence   of  different  climates,   uses, 


166       NEIGHBORS   WITH  CLAWS  AND  HOOFS. 

treatments,  and  selection  continued  for  many  ages,  cattle 
have  assumed  several  distinct  types  called  breeds.  These 
breeds  show  certain  characteristics  that  have  become  defi- 
nite and  fixed  by  time,  and  by  the  different  uses  or  pur- 
poses that  have  controlled  their  selection.  "Where  broad 
plains  encouraged  the  raising  of  beef,  the  mind  and  hand 
of  man  have  selected  for  propagation  in  each  generation 
those  animals  only  that  were  best  adapted  for  this  pur- 
pose. In  the  same  manner  where  broken  surfaces  favored 
the  production  of  milk,  there  the  best  milkers  were  re- 
served from  each  generation,  and  so  on  until  the  purpose 
of  man  became  fixed  in  the  main  features  of  the  animal. 

4.  Our  native  cattle  represent  the  varied  wants  and 
indefinite  purposes  of  a  newly-settled  country  and  a  mixed 
people.  They  are  the  result  of  original  stock  imported 
from  nearly  every  quarter  of  the  globe,  and  they  have  not 
been  bred  to  any  one  special  use.  They  are,  therefore,  of  all 


Hungarian  Oxen. 


OUR  FARM-YARD  MILK-GIVERS.  167 

shapes  and  colors,  with  and  without  horns,  and  have  been 
equally  serviceable  for  the  yoke,  for  beef,  milk,  butter, 
and  cheese.  The  distinct  breeds  of  cattle  that  have  been 
introduced  to  satisfy  the  wants  of  advanced  agriculture 
may  be  divided  into  two  general  classes — the  one  excellent 
for  beef,  and  the  other  for  milk  and  its  products.  Each 
of  these  classes,  however,  serves  to  some  extent  the  pur- 
poses of  the  other ;  the  beef  class  is  used  for  milk,  and 
the  milk  class  for  beef.  The  beef  breeds  best  known 
among  us  are  the  Devon,  Durham,  or  Short-horn,  the 
Hereford,  and  the  Polled  Angus.  The  milk  breeds  em- 
brace the  Ayrshire,  Jersey,  or  Alderney,  the  Guernsey, 
the  Holstein,  and  the  Swiss. 

5.  The  Devons,  closely  and  carefully  bred  for  centu- 
ries in  Devonshire,  England,  are  of  medium  size,  compact, 
of  deep-red  color,  with  white  graceful  horns.     They  are 
docile,  active,  surpass  all  others  for  the  yoke,  while  many 
individuals  and  strains  are  excellent  milkers  and  butter- 
makers.     The  Durhams,  or  Short-horns,  take  their  name 
from  the  county  of  the  same  name  in  the  north  of  Eng- 
land, where  they  are  most  extensively  raised.     They  are 
supposed  to  have  originated  on  the  Continent.     They  are 
the  ideal  beef  breed,  showing  an  almost  parallelogram  in 
the  shape  of  their  bodies.     Of  mixed  red  and  white — roan 
—or  solid  red  colors,  with  short  crumpled  horns  and  fine 
muzzle,  they  are  the  aristocrats  of  cattle,  the  pets  of  lords, 
and  the  pride  of  stock  raisers. 

6.  The  Herefords,  from  Herefordshire,  in  England, 
recognized  by  their  deep-red  body  color,  with  white  face, 
white-lined  backs,  and  horns  of  medium  length,  are  larger 
than  the  Devons,  often  reaching  the  weight  of  Short-horns, 
and  are  active,  hardy,  and  easily  fattened.     Very  similar 
to  the  other  beef  breeds  in  its  tendency  to  take  flesh  is  the 
Polled  Angus,  jet-black  and  without  horns. 


168       NEIGHBORS   WITH  CLA  WS  AND  HOOFS. 

7.  The  Ayrshire  among  milk  breeds  is  the  pride  of  the 
Scotch  farmer  and  dairyman.     She  is  party-colored,  red 
and  white,  with  horns  of  medium  length,  and  deep,  broad 
body.     In  her  native  home  she  is  prized  above  all  others 
for  butter,  cheese,  and  milk.     In  this  country  she  is  dis- 
tinguished as  a  cheese  cow,  and  excels  in  the  quantity  of 
milk.     Coming  from  her  home  in  Holland,  the  Holstein 
stands  at  the  head  of  milk-givers.     She  is  at  once  recog- 
nized by  her  large,  bony  frame  set  upon  long  legs,  her 
patches  of  black  and  white  color,  her  long  slim  neck, 
crumpled  horns,  and  intelligent  face.     Her  capacity  for 
milk  is  enormous.     Her  milk  is  of  good  quality,  and  she 
is  profitable  for  beef  when  her  milking  period  is  past. 

8.  The  Channel  Island  cattle,  from  the  Islands  of  Al- 
derney,  Jersey,  and  Guernsey,  are  of  Norman  extraction. 
The  original  importation  to  this  country  was  probably 
from  Alderney.     The  most  distinct  type  and  style,  bred 
and  fixed  by  ages  of  careful  selection  and  legal  protection, 
comes  from  the  larger  Island  of  Jersey.    By  far  the  largest 
proportion  of  this  class  has  come  from  Jersey,  and  this 
name  is  recognized  as  proper  to  the  race.     The  Jerseys 
are  comparatively  small,  bony,  of  reddish-brown,  bronze, 
fawn,  or  squirrel  color,  either  solid  or  party-colored  with 
white,  usually  of  orange  dyed  skin,  small  neck  and  head, 
with  prominent  black  eyes  and  crumpled  horns,  and  a 
peculiar  fillet  about  the  eyes  and  nose.     The  Jersey's  na- 
ture is  adapted  to  produce  rich  milk  and  golden  butter. 
She  is  averse  to  flesh,  and  on  this  account  is  not  profitable 
for  beef. 

9.  A  larger  cow,  and  not  so  delicate  in  form  as  the 
Jersey,  is  the  Guernsey,  from  a  neighboring  island  of  the 
same  name.     She  is  party-colored,  light  red  and  white, 
gives  a  larger  quantity  of  milk  than  the  Jersey,  and  pro- 
duces butter  of  a  deeper  orange-color.     She  is  also  profit- 


OUR  FARM-YARD  MILK-GIVERS.  169 

able  for  beef  when  useless  for  milk.  The  practical  farmer 
and  dairyman  secure  the  main  benefits  of  these  fixed  types 
of  cattle  by  a  mixture  of  their  blood  with  that  of  the 
native  stock.  The  home  cow  is  called  "  our  royal  divin- 
ity "  by  Mr.  John  Burroughs,  whose  pleasant  sketch  is 
here  partly  given  : 

10.  "  What  a  variety  of  individualities  a  herd  of  cows 
presents  when  you  have  come  to  know  them  all,  not  only 
in  form  and  color,  but  in  manners  and  disposition !    Some 
are  timid  and  awkward,  and  the  butt  of  the  whole  herd ; 
some  remind  you  of  deer;  some  have  an  expression  in 
the  face  like  certain  persons  you  have  known.     A  petted, 
well-fed  cow  has  a  benevolent  and  gracious  look ;  an  ill- 
used  and  poorly-fed  one  a  pitiful  and  forlorn  look.     Some 
cows  have  a  masculine  or  ox  expression ;  others  'are  ex- 
tremely feminine.    The  latter  are  the  ones  for  milk.    Some 
cows  will  kick  like  a  horse  ;  some  jump  fences  like  a  deer. 
Every  herd  has  its  ringleader,  its  unruly  spirit — one  that 
plans  all  the  mischief  and  leads  the  rest  through  the  fences 
into  the  grain  or  into  the  orchard.     This  one  is  usually 
quite  different  from  the  master- spirit,  the  'boss  of  the 
yard.'     The  latter  is  generally  the  most  peaceful  and  law- 
abiding  cow  in  the  lot,  and  the  least  bullying  and  quarrel- 
some. 

11.  "  But  she  is  not  to  be  trifled  with — her  will  is  law ; 
the  whole  herd  give  way  to  her,  those  that  have  crossed 
horns  with  her,  and  those  that  have  not,  but  yielded  their 
allegiance   without   crossing.     I   remember  such   a  one 
among  my  father's  milkers  when  I  was  a  boy — a  slender- 
horned,   deep-shouldered,  large-uddered,   dewlapped  old 
cow  that  we  always  put  first  in  the  long  stable,  so  she 
could  not  have  a  cow  on  each  side  of  her  to  forage  upon ; 
for  the  master  is  yielded  to  no  less  in  the  stanchions  than 
in  the  yard.     She  always  had  the  first  place  anywhere. 


170       NEIGHBORS    WITH  CLA  Wti  AND  HOOFS. 

She  had  her  choice  of  standing-room,  in  the  milking-yard, 
and  when  she  wanted  to  lie  down  there,  or  in  the  fields, 
the  best  and  softest  spot  was  hers. 

12.  "  When  the  herd  were  foddered  from  the  stack  or 
barn,  or  fed  with  pumpkins  in  the  fall,  she  was  always  first 
served.     Her  demeanor  was  quiet,  but  impressive.     She 
never  bullied  or  gored  her  mates,  but  literally  ruled  them 
with  the  breath  of  her  nostrils.     If   any  new-comer  or 
ambitious  younger  cow,  however,  chafed  under  her  su- 
premacy, she  was  ever  ready  to  make  good  her  claims. 
And  with  what  spirit  would  she  fight  when  openly  chal- 
lenged !     She  was  a  whirlwind  of  pluck  and  valor ;  and 
not  after  one  defeat  or  two  defeats  would  she  yield  the 
championship.     The  boss-cow,  when  overcome,  seems  to 
brood  over  her  disgrace,  and  day  after  day  will  meet  her 
rival  in  fierce  combat. 

13.  "A  friend  of  mine,  a  pastoral  philosopher,  whom 
I  have  consulted  in  regard  to  the  master-cow,  thinks  it  is 
seldom  the  case  that  one  rales  all  the  herd,  if  it  number 
many,  but  that  there  is  often  one  that  will  rule  nearly  all. 
'  Curiously  enough,'  he  says,  *  a  case  like  this  will  often 
occur :   No.  1  will  whip  No.  2 ;  No.  2  whips  No.  3,  and 
No.  3  whips  No.  1 ;  so  around  in  a  circle.     This  is  not  a 
mistake  ;  it  is  often  the  case.     I  remember,'  he  continued, 
6  we  once  had  feeding  out  of  a  large  bin,  in  the  center  of 
the  yard,  six  oxen  who  mastered  right  through  in  succes- 
sion from  No.  1  to  No.  6  ;  but  No.  6  paid  off  the  score  by 
whipping  No.  1.' 

14.  "How  wise  and  sagacious  the  cows  become  that 
run  upon  the  street,  or  pick  their  living  along  the  high- 
way !     The  mystery  of  gates  and  bars  is  at  last  solved  to 
them.     They  ponder  over  them  by  night,  they  lurk  about 
them  by  day,  till  they  acquire  a  new  sense — till  they  be- 
come en  rapport  with  them  and  know  when  they  are  open 


THE  BOVINE  DWELLERS  OF  OTHER  LANDS,  m 

and  unguarded.  The  garden-gate,  if  it  open  into  the 
highway  at  any  point,  is  never  out  of  the  mind  of  these 
roadsters,  or  out  of  their  calculations.  They  calculate 
upon  the  chances  of  its  being  left  open  a  certain  number 
of  times  in  the  season ;  and  if  it  be  but  once,  and  only  for 
tive  minutes,  your  cabbage  and  sweet-corn  suffer. 

15.  "What  villager,  or  countryman  either,  has  not 
been  awakened  at  night  by  the  squeaking  and  crunching 
of  those  piratical  jaws  under  the  window  or  in  the  direc- 
tion of  the  vegetable-patch  ?  I  have  had  the  cows,  after 
they  had  eaten  up  my  garden,  break  into  the  stable  where 
my  own  milcher  was  tied,  and  gore  her  and  devour  her 
meal.  Yes,  life  presents  but  one  absorbing  problem  to 
the  street-cow,  and  that  is  how  to  get  into  your  garden." 


CHAPTER    XXIX. 
THE    BOVINE    DWELLERS   OF   OTHER    LANDS. 

1.  IT  will  be  observed,  in  looking  at  the  pictures  of 
buffalo  and  bison,  that  there  is  a  striking  difference  be- 
tween these  two  animals.  There  are  but  two  species  of 
buffalo  ;  one  is  a  native  of  India,  the  other  of  South  Africa. 
The  buffalo  is  a  rougher  animal  than  our  domestic  ox,  yet 
in  general  form  much  like  the  ox.  His  peculiarities  lie 
mainly  in  the  shape  of  the  head  and  horns.  The  top  of 
his  head  is  round  or  convex,  and  his  horns  curve  down- 
ward, outward,  and  upward.  The  bison,  on  the  other 
hand,  has  a  singular  hump  over  the  shoulders,  covered  by 
'a  shaggy  mane,  a  rounded  head,  and  a  short,  upright 
curved  horn.  The  name  buffalo  was  long  ago  given  to 
the  Indian  and  African  species,  and,  as  will  be  seen,  can 


172       NEIGHBORS   WITH  CLAWS  AND  HOOFS. 

not  properly  apply  to  the  so-called  buffalo  of  America, 
which  is  a  true  bison. 

2.  The  Indian  buffalo,  or  arna,  as  it  is  called,  is,  in  its 
wild  state,  ten  feet  long  and  six  feet  high,  and  wears  a 
coat  of  smooth,  thin,  short  hair.  It  frequents  the  great 
swampy  jungles  of  India,  and  is  fierce  and  pugnacious  in 
disposition.  It  wallows  in  the  mud,  and  seems  to  prefer  the 
lower  and  more  unfrequented  lands.  Here  it  sometimes 
comes  in  conflict  with  the  Bengal  tiger,  for  whom  it  is 
more  than  a  match.  But  this  buffalo  has  been  tamed  in 
its  native  land,  and  applied  to  practical  use.  During  the 
middle  ages  it  was  introduced  into  Egypt,  Greece,  and 
Italy.  Its  great  strength  adapts  it  to  the  yoke  ;  its  milk  is 
good,  but  its  flesh  is  not  pleasant.  The  Cape  buffalo  of 


A  Buffalo  Cow  defending  Tier  Calf. 

South  Africa  is  neither  so  high  nor  so  large  as  its  Indian 
cousin,  but  it  is  equally  ferocious,  and  does  not  wait  for  a 
provocation,  but  wages  a  wanton  war  on  men  and  animals. 
It  collects  in  great  herds,  and  delights  to  wallow  in  the 
mire. 


THE  BOVINE  DWELLERS  OF  OTHER  LANDS.  173 

3.  The  European  bison,  or  ure-ox,  is  one  of  the  largest 
of  terrestrial  mammals.     It   coexisted   with  the  extinct 
mammoth,  and  would  have  been  swept  out  of  existence 
long  ago  but  for  the  order  of  the  Emperor  of  Russia 
against  its  destruction.     The  American  bison,  commonly 
called  buffalo,  needs  no  description.     Its  story  has  often 
been  written.     It  is  an  inmate  of  the  zoological  gardens, 
and  an  attache  of   the  common  showman.     Though   it 
wears  a  fierce  and  menacing  look,  it  never  attacks  man. 
But  when  the  long  procession  of  buffaloes  starts  for  the 
distant  watering-place,  and  the  black  column  moves  with 
dashing  power  across  the  plain,  then  both  the  man  and 
the  railway-train  must  clear  the  track. 

4.  Mr.  Ernest    Ingersoll,  in    "The   Popular  Science 
Monthly,"  says  of  this  animal :  "  As  is  well  known,  the 
buffalo   is   pre-eminently  gregarious  —  herds  numbering 
millions  of  individuals,  and  blackening  the  whole  land- 
scape, having   formerly  been  met  with  on   the   plains. 
Emigrant-trains  used  to   be  delayed  by  the   passing  of 
dense  herds,  and  during  the  first  years  of  the  Kansas- 
Pacific  Railway  its  trains  were  frequently  stopped  by  the 
same  cause.     These  masses  seem  to  have  some  sort  of 
organization,  consisting  of   small  bands  which  unite  in 
migration  or  when  pursued,  but  separate  when  feeding. 
The  cows  with  their  calves  and  the  younger  animals  are 
generally  toward  the  middle  of  the  small  herd,  while  the 
older  bulls  are  found  on  the  outside,  and  the  patriarchs 
of  the  herd  bring  up  the  rear.  .  The  real  guardians  are 
the  vigilant  cows,  who  usually  lead  the  movements  of  the 
herd. 

5.  "  The  behavior  of  buffaloes  is  very  much  like  that  of 
domestic  cattle,  but  their  speed  and  endurance  seem  to  be 
far  greater.     When  well  under  way,  it  takes  a  fleet  horse 
to  overtake  them ;  and  they  raise  a  column  of  dust,  which 


174:       NEIGHBORS   WITH  CLAWS  AND  HOOFS. 

marks  their  progress  when  far  away.  They  swim  rivers 
with  ease,  even  amid  floating  ice,  and  show  a  surprising 
agility  and  expertness  in  making  their  way  down  precipi- 
tous cliffs  and  banks  of  streams,  plunging  headlong  where 
a  man  would  pick  his  way  with  hesitation.  Ordinarily, 
however,  the  buffalo  exhibits  commendable  sagacity  in  his 
choice  of  routes,  usually  taking  the  easiest  grades  and  the 
most  direct  course,  so  that  a  buffalo-trail — often  worn 
deep  into  the  ground — can  be  depended  on  as  affording 
the  most  feasible  road  through  the  region  it  traverses. 

6.  "When  belligerent,  the  old  bulls  make  the  most 
blustering  demonstrations,  but  are  really  cowardly.  Fac- 
ing the  approaching  hunter  with  a  boastful  and  defiant 


The  Bison  Hunt. 


air,  they  will  pace  to  and  fro,  threateningly  pawing  the 
earth,  only  to  take  to  their  heels  the  next  moment.  The 
bulls  greatly  enjoy  pawing  the  earth,  and  throwing  it  up 
with  their  horns,  digging  into  banks,  or  getting  down  on 
one  knee  to  strike  into  the  level  surface,  so  that  the 


THE  BOVINE  DWELLERS  OF  OTHER  LANDS.  175 

eheaths  of  their  horns  are  always  badly  splintered.  They 
are  very  fond,  too,  of  rubbing  themselves,  and  evidently 
regard  the  telegraph-poles  along  the  railroads  as  set  there 
for  their  especial  convenience  in  this  respect. 

7.  "  But  their  chief  delight  is  in  wallowing.     Find- 
ing in  the  low  parts  of  the  prairie  a  little  stagnant  water 
among  the  grass,  or,  at  least,  the  surface  soft  and  moist, 
an  old  bull  plunges  his  horns  into  the  ground,  tearing  up 
the  earth,  and  soon  making  an  excavation  into  which  the 
water  trickles,  forming  for  a  short  time  a  cool  and  com- 
fortable bath,  in  which,  he  wallows,  like  a  hog  in  the  mire, 
swinging  himself  round  and  round  on  his  side,  and  thus 
enlarging  the  pool  until  he  is  nearly  immersed.    At  length 
he  rises  besmeared  with  a  coating  of  mud,  which,  drying, 
insures  him  immunity  from  pests  for  many  hours.     Oth- 
ers follow,  each  enlarging  the  '  wallow,'  until  it  becomes 
twenty  feet  in  diameter,  remains  a  prominent  feature  in 
the  landscape,  and  forms  a  cistern  where  a  grateful  sup- 
ply of  water  is  often  long  re- 
tained for  the  thirsty  denizens 

of  that  dry  region." 

8.  The   zebus  are  the  do- 
mestic cattle  of  India,  and  are 
also   found   in   China   and  in 
some  parts  of  Africa.     Some 

of  them  are  as  large  as  our  na-  The  zdu. 

tive  cattle,  and  others  are  as 

small  as  a  yearling  calf.  They  have  a  peculiar  hump  on 
their  shoulders,  and  are  covered  with  a  soft,  mouse-colored 
or  squirrel-gray  hair.  The  natives  are  taught  by  their  re- 
ligion that  it  is  a  sin  to  kill  these  cattle ;  hence  they  are 
named  sacred  cattle.  They  are  useful  for  the  saddle,  for 
drawing  carriages,  and  are  sometimes  attached  to  the 
plow.  Their  step  is  rapid,  and  they  can  easily  travel 


176       NEIGHBORS    WITH  CLA  WS  AND  HOOFS. 

thirty  miles  in  a  day.  They  are  managed  by  a  small  cord 
passed  through  the  gristle  of  the  nose.  Their  flesh  is 
esteemed  by  Europeans  as  an  article  of  foodo 

9.  "  An  old  writer  describes  the  procession  of  an  In- 
dian prince,  who  was  drawn  by  two  white  oxen,  which 
had  the  neck  short,  and  a  hump  between  the  shoulders, 
but  which  were  as  lively  and  active  as  horses.  Bishop 
Heber  informs  us  that  the  horns  of  the  white  oxen  which 
drag  the  Rajpoot  nobility  are  gilded.  It  is  said  that  they 
can  travel  fifty  miles  a  day,  and  always  on  a  trot.  When 
they  have  done  half  their  day's  work,  they  have  for  dinner 
two  or  three  balls  of  the  size  of  a  penny  loaf,  and  made 
of  wheaten  flour,  kneaded  with  butter  and  coarse  sugar ; 
and,  in  the  evening,  their  supper  consists  of  chick-peas, 
bruised  and  steeped  for  half  an  hour  in  water." 


m 


The  Yak  of  Thibet. 

10.  "  The  yak,  or  grunting  cow,  is  distinguished  from 
the  true  oxen  by  its  smaller  stature,  by  the  long  hair  that 


THE  BOVINE  DWELLERS  OF  OTHER  LANDS.  177 


clothes  its  body,  and  by  a  kind  of  mane  that  runs  along 
the  center  of  its  back  and  shoulders,  as  well  as  by  the 
peculiarity  of  the  sounds  to  which  it  gives  utterance.  The 
yak  is  a  native  of  Thibet,  inhabiting  the  loftiest  plateaux 
of  high  Asia.'1  Dr.  Hooker  further  describes  it :  "  The 
yak  is  a  very  tame,  often  handsome,  domestic  animal,  and 
a  true  bison  in  appearance.  It  is  invaluable  to  these 
mountaineers  from  its  strength  and  hardiness,  accomplish- 
ing, at  a  slow  pace,  twenty  miles  a  day,  bearing  either  two 
bags  of  salt  or  rice,  or  four  to  six  planks  of  pine-wood, 
slung  in  pairs  along  either  flank. 

11.  "  Their  ears  are  generally  pierced,  and  ornamented 
with  a  tuft  of  scarlet  worsted ;  they  have  large  and  beau- 
tiful eyes,  spreading  horns,  long  silky  black  hair,  and 
grand  bushy  tails.  Black  is  their  prevailing  color.  In 
winter  the  flocks  graze  below  eight  thousand  feet,  on  ac- 
count of  the  great  quantity  of  snow  above  that  height ;  in 
summer  they  find  pasturage  as  high  as  seventeen  thousand 
feet,  consisting  of  grass  and  small  tufted  carices,  which 
they  browse  with  avidity.  The  yak  is  used  as  a  beast  of 
burden,  and  much  of 
the  wealth  of  the  peo- 
ple consists  in  its  rich  Hii 
milk  and  curd,  eaten 
either  fresh,  or  dried 
and  powdered  into  a 
kind  of  meal.  The 
hair  is  spun  into  ropes, 
and  woven  into  a  cov- 
ering for  their  tents, 
which  is  quite  pervi- 
ous to  wind  or  rain. 
The  latter,  however,  is 

of  little  consequence  in  The  Mvsk-Ox 

12 


178       NEIGHBORS   WITH  CLAWS  AND  HOOFS. 

the  dry  climate  of  Thibet.      The  bushy  tail  forms  the 
well-known  fly-flapper  of  the  plains  of  India." 

12.  "  The  musk-ox,"  says  Figuier,  "  is  much  smaller 
than  the  common  ox,  and  has  somewhat  the  appearance 
of  an  enormous  sheep.     Its  forehead  is  arched,  its  mouth 
small,  its  muzzle  completely  covered  with  hair;  and  its 
horns,  which  are  very  large,  are  closely  united  at  the  base, 
and  bending  downward  over  the  sides  of  its  head,  sud- 
denly turn  backward  and  upward  at  the  tips.     Its  long 
and  abundant  coat  is  of  a  dark  brown  color.     It  exhales  a 
strong  odor  of  musk,  which  even  impregnates  its  flesh. 

13.  "  This  animal,  which  is  a  combination  of  the  ox, 
sheep,  and  goat,  inhabits  North  America  below  the  polar 
circle,  and  lives  in  families  of  from  ten  to  twenty  indi- 
viduals, among  which  there  are  seldom  more  than  two  or 
three  males.     Notwithstanding  its  apparent  heaviness,  the 
musk-ox  climbs  over  the  rocks  almost  as  nimbly  as  a  goat ; 
and  its  speed  across  the  rocky,  rough,  barren  grounds,  its 
principal  habitat,  for  an  animal  so  clumsy,  is  truly  aston- 
ishing." 


CHAPTER   XXX. 

THE    RODEO    OF   THE    LLANOS. 

1.  IT  is  customary  in  all  large  cattle-ranches  to  as- 
semble from  time  to  time  the  cattle  of  certain  districts 
for  the  purpose  of  selecting  those  which  require  branding 
and  marking,  and  also  to  allow  the  neighboring  ranchers 
to  separate  from  the  herds  many  stray  animals  belonging 
to  them,  which,  from  the  open  nature  of  the  plains,  it  is 
impossible  to  keep  within  the  boundaries  of  their  own 
ranges.  This  operation  can  not  be  accomplished  without 


THE  RODEO   OF  THE  LLANOS. 


1Y9 


a  great  number  of  able  and  expert  riders,  who,  on  a  given 
day,  surround  a  large  area  of  country,  and  drive  toward 


Cattle. 


one  center  all  the  cattle  that  may  be  found  within  the  se- 
lected space.  An  extended  circle  or  ring  is  thus  formed, 
inclosing  a  great  herd  of  wild  animals ;  these  are  kept  in 
check  by  the  well -concerted  evolutions  of  the  vaqueros, 
until  the  appointed  rendezvous  is  reached,  where,  after 
allowing  the  cattle  to  cool  down,  the  different  brands  are 
selected  ;  hence  the  name  rodeo,  from  rodear,  to  surround. 
2.  The  area  selected  for  the  rodeo  embraced  at  least 
fifteen  miles  in  circuit.  The  horsemen,  in  squads  of  six 
or  eight,  proceeded  on  the  afternoon  of  the  day  before  to 
their  stations  at  various  points,  having  instructions  to  start 
at  early  dawn  for  the  appointed  center.  We  of  the  staff 
made  a  simultaneous  move  from  the  house,  driving  before 


180       NEIGHBORS    WITH  CLAWS  AND  HOOFS. 

us,  without  distinction,  all  the  animals  we  encountered  on 
the  route.  The  cattle  being  so  unexpectedly  roused  from 
their  slumbers,  naturally  endeavored  to  fly  from  their 
pursuers.  Soon,  however,  meeting  those  from  opposite 
directions,  they  whirled  in  mad  despair,  vainly  endeavor- 
ing to  break  through  the  extended  line  of  horsemen,  who 
were  constantly  galloping  about  the  struggling  mass  with 
shouts  and  thrusts  from  their  steel-pointed  garrochas. 

3.  At  the  commencement  it  was  a  truly  interesting 
sight  to  watch  the  many  groups  of  cattle,  deer,  wild  boars, 
dogs,  foxes,  and  other  wild  quadrupeds,  coming  in  from 
all  directions  as  if  impelled  by  one  common  instinct ;  but 
no  sooner  did  that  living  ring  commence  closing  upon 
them,  than,  scared  by  the  confusion  arid  uproar  of  the 
scene,  their  terror  quickly  grew  to  frenzy,  and  they  ran 
from  side  to  side,  bellowing,  grunting,  howling,  as  they 
went.     Solely  intent  upon  the  danger  that  menaced  them, 
the  mother  forgot  her  offspring,  and  listened  no  more  to 
their  painful  lamentations ;  and  even  the  fierce  bull  for- 
getting for  a  moment  that  he  is  sovereign  of  those  realms, 
lost  his  natural  spirit  of  brave  defiance,  and  rushed  blindly 
off  in  the  train  of  the  frightened  multitude. 

4.  As  if  to  increase  the  grandeur  of  the  spectacle,  a 
crane,  which  had  established  itself  on  the  borders  of  a 
creek  hard  by,  also  caught  the  alarm,  and  at  our  approach 
flew  up  in  the  air  with  a  tremendous  crashing  of  wing  and 
bill,  leaving  her  young  to  care  for  themselves,  and  with 
their  discordant  and  piercing  cries  to  swell  the  uproar  of 
the  scene.     It  is  impossible  to  convey  an  adequate  idea  of 
this  vast  multitude  of  frightened  cranes  and  herons  of  all 
sorts  which  fluttered  overhead  at  that  moment ;  so  great 
was  their  number  that  they  spread  over   an   extent  of 
several  miles,  and  actually  for  a  time  cast  a  deep  shadow 
over  the  landscape. 


THE  RODEO    OF  THE  LLA.NO&  181 

5.  Not  less  than  eight  or  ten  thousand  head  of  cattle 
were  brought  within  the  ring   formed  of  more  than  a 
hundred  horsemen,  who,  in  preventing  the  escape  of  the 
animals,  were  compelled  to  expose  themselves  and  their 
noble  steeds  to  the  vindictiveness  of  the  bulls,  which  were 
constantly  rushing  upon  the  lines  in  their  endeavors  to 
regain  the  open  prairies.     Whenever  this  was  attempted, 
a  horseman   galloped  boldly  upon  the  fugitive,  and,  by 
interposing  himself  between  the  open  field  and  the  bull, 
forced  the  latter  back  to  the  herd.     Wonderfully  adroit 
were  the  herdsmen  in  their  avoidance  of  the  repeated 
strokes  aimed  at  them  by  the  bulls,  even  when  it  appeared 
impossible  to  escape  being  caught  between  the  animal's 
horns. 

6.  The  garroeha  played  an  important  part  in  repelling 
these  attacks.     This  instrument  is  made   of  the  slender 
yet  tough  stem  of  the  palm,  by  merely  sharpening  the 
top  end  to  a  point,  or  surmounting  it  with  an  iron  head, 
around  which  a  number  of  loose  rings  of  the  same  metal 
are  affixed ;  these,  when  shaken  close  to  the  animal's  ear, 
frighten   him  off   with  the  rattling-sound  they  produce. 
The  shaft  of  the  goad  is  fully  ten  feet  long,  and,  although 
not  thicker  than  a  walking  stick,  can   bear  an  immense 
amount  of  pressure  without  breaking.     As  a  weapon  of 
aggression,  this  slender  palm-stem  has  become  justly  cele- 
brated from  the  fact  of  having  supplied  the  primitive 
bands  of  patriots  who  first  dared  to  oppose  the  tyrannical 
rule  of  Spain  with  ready-made  lances  in  the  wilderness. 

7.  Some  hours  elapsed  before  the  tremendous  excite- 
ment and  confusion  of  the  wild  melee  described  above  had 
sufficiently  subsided  to  render  the  forms  of  men  and  cattle 
visible  through  the  clouds  of  dust  and  ashes  raised  by  the 
trampling  of  so  many  animals.     The  grass,  at  this  period 
parched  by  the  sun  and  reduced  to  ashes  in  various  places 


182       NEIGHBORS    WITH  OLA  WS  AND  HOOFS. 

by  the  usual  conflagrations,  mingled  with  the  dust  and 
rose  in  dense  columns,  which  from  afar  might  have  been 
mistaken  for  the  dreaded  simoom.  In  the  mean  while  the 
distracted  mothers  ran  from  side  to  side,  lowing  piteously 
for  their  missing  young.  Here  and  there  fierce  duellos 
among  rival  bulls  took  place.  Butting  their  huge  fronts 
together,  and  goring  each  other  with  their  sharp-pointed 
horns,  they  fought  with  the  courage  and  skill  of  accom- 
plished gladiators,  turning  up  the  earth  in  wild  fury,  and 
filling  the  air  with  their  deep,  savage  bellowing. 

8.  These  sounds,  with  the  yells  and  deafening  shouts 
of  the  men  galloping  about    the   plain,   waving  their 
ponchos  and  rattling  their  garrochas,  combined  to  give 
the  scene  more  the  appearance  of  a  fiendish  melodrama 
than  a  purely  pastoral  assemblage  of  men  and  cattle.    The 
confusion  having  at  length  subsided,  four  of  the  ablest 
horsemen,  penetrating  the  living  mass,  which,  as  they  ad- 
vanced, surged  on  either  side  like  the  waves  of  the  sea, 
commenced  the  difficult  task  of  separating  the  animals  in- 
tended for  the  brand,  and  those  belonging  to  our  neigh- 
bors.    This  occasioned  a  series  of  evolutions  which  only 
men  trained  to  such  exercises  could  have  accomplished 
successfully. 

9.  At  all  cattle-ranches  it  is  usual  to  cut  a  notch  or  two 
in  the  animals'  ears  at  the  time  they  are  branded,  for  the 
purpose  of  recognizing  them  more  readily  from  a  distance, 
a  precaution  which  is  particularly  serviceable  on  occasions 
like  that  just  described,  it  being  impossible  to  read  the 
brand  when  the  creatures  are  crowded  into  a  herd.     Al- 
though most  of  the  calves  have  not  the  notch,  they  belong 
by  right  to  the  owner  of  the  mother,  even  if  they  are 
found  with  the  herds  of  another  party. 

10.  The  separation  of  the  cattle  they  accomplished  in  the 
most  expeditious  manner,  by  riding  boldly  at  the  animals 


THE  RODEO   OF  THE  LLANOS.  183 

in  question,  hastening  or  checking  their  progress  through 
the  herd  as  the  case  demanded.  Thus,  by  repeated  evolu- 
tions of  the  sort,  they  finally  brought  the  animals  to  the 
edge  of  the  ring,  where  an  opening  was  purposely  left  for 
their  escape,  and  then  the  nearest  horseman  drove  them  in 
among  a  small  band  of  tame  cattle  stationed  a  short 
distance  from  the  rodeo.  These  violent,  manoeuvrings 
could  not  be  accomplished,  however,  without  endangering 
at  every  step  the  security  of  the  entire  herd. 

11.  Each  time  the  drivers  turned  out  an  animal,  the 
whole  mass  was  thrown  into  the  utmost  confusion,  and  it 
required  the  most  consummate  skill  on  the  part  of  the 
men  to  prevent  the  entire  dispersion  of  the  cattle.     The 
fearlessness  with  which  the  drivers  plunged  into  the  laby- 
rinth of  savage,  panting  brutes,  advancing  close  upon  the 
wall  of  bristling  horns,  which  barred  their  progress,  and 
boldly  driving  the  infuriated  creatures  before  them  like 
a  pack  of  sheep,  was  truly  worthy  of  admiration.     The 
readiness  with  which  they  detected  at  a  distance  the  mark 
on  the  animals'  ears  was  also  no  less  noticeable,  singling 
out  such  at  a  glance,  and  immediately  driving  them  away 
to  their  respective  groups.    When  all  the  brands  had  been 
thus  apportioned,  each  owner  proceeded  to  drive  away  his 
own  herd. 

12.  We  found  in  these  cases,  as  indeed  in  all  similar 
ones,  the  assistance  of  madrineros,   or  trained  oxen,  of 
great  service  in  driving  a  large  body  of  cattle  across  the 
plains.     But  one  of  the  most  dangerous  parts  of  the  pro- 
ceedings yet  remained,  that  of  forcing  the  cattle  into  the 
corrals.     The  entrance  to  the  corral,  shaped  like  a  great 
funnel,  was,  like  the  rest  of  the  fences,  made  of  very  strong 
posts,  driven  into  the  ground,  and  barred  across  at  inter- 
vals with  thick  rafters  of  bamboo.     Through  this  funnel, 
the  cattle  in  small  lots  were  driven  at  full  speed,  headed 


184       NEIGHBORS   WITH  CLA  WS  AND  HOOFS. 

by  the  madrineros,  those  treacherous  guides  trained  to 
ensnare  their  kindred,  while  the  horsemen  barricaded  the 
mouth  of  the  funnel  with  the  breasts  of  their  horses. 

13.  Everything  proceeded  satisfactorily  as  far  as  the 
end  of  the  funnel — the  madrineros,  with  all  the  cunning 
of  semi-civilized  brutes,  redoubling  their  pace  at  the  mo- 
ment of  entering  the  great  inclosure.     Then,  their  wild 
brethren,  perceiving  their  treachery,  turned  upon  their 
captors,  and  a  most  fearful  struggle  ensued.     The  bulls,  in 
spite  of  the  deafening  shouts  of  the  men,  and  the  formi- 
dable array  of  garrochas  leveled  at  their  heads,  endeavored 
to  force  their  way  back  to  the  open  plain,  and  many  of 
them  actually  succeeded  in  breaking  through  the  barricade 
.of  horses. 

14.  That  most  of  the  men  escaped  unhurt,  appeared 
little  less  than  miraculous,  as  not  only  were  they  exposed 
at  every  moment  to  the  vindictive  attacks  of  the  bulls,  but 
it  often  happened  that  some  of  them  were  unhorsed,  when 
they  were  in  imminent  danger  of  being  trampled  by  the 
retreating  foe.     The  superior  skill  and  intrepidity  of  man, 
however,  triumphed  at  length  over  mere  brute  resistance, 
and  the  whole  herd  was  in  a  short  time  securely  quartered 

in  the  corral. 

Paez. 


CHAPTER    XXXI. 

WOOL-BEARERS   OF  THE    PASTURES. 

1.  IT  is  an  interesting  fact  that  sheep  were  the  first 
domestic  animals  to  yield  support  to  man.  They  were  his 
original  cattle,  or  pecus,  and  therefore  constituted  the  main 
substance  of  Ins  pecuniary  condition.  No  other  animals 
could  have  done  so  much  for  man.  If  we  want  other  ani- 


WOOL-BEAKERS   OF  THE  PASTURES. 


185 


mals  to  clothe  us,  we  must  ask  them  to  sacrifice  their  lives 
that  we  may  have  their  skins.  The  sheep  can  keep  its 
skin,  and  still  cover  us.  Originally,  sheep  furnished  milk 
as  well  as  texture,  and  it  was  only  when  meat  was  de- 
manded that  they  gave  up  their  lives  ;  and  just  in  propor- 
tion to  the  care  man  has  bestowed  upon  these  timid  and 
defenseless  animals  has  been  the  reward  they  have  yielded 
him. 

2.  The  property  and  wealth  of  the  ancient  patriarchs 


The  Merino  Sheep, 

consisted  in  sheep.  From  them  has  descended  to  us  in  an 
almost  unbroken  line  the  Spanish  merino.  The  so-called 
native  sheep  of  America,  like  our  native  cattle,  have  no 
definite  origin ;  but  the  lineage  of  the  merino  is  ancient 
and  clean ;  and  this  is  what  gives  to  the  breed  its  clearly- 
marked  and  distinguishing  characteristics.  The  impres- 


186       NEIGHBORS   WITH  CLAWS  AND  HOOFS. 

sion  of  several  thousand  years  is  stamped  upon  it.  Once 
seen,  it  will  be  known  again  as  readily  as  a  Chinaman  is 
recognized.  The  merino  is,  par  excellence,  the  sheep  of 
fine  wool.  Its  fleece  is  short,  and  grows  in  a  thick  mat, 
oily,  and  therefore  dirty  in  appearance,  covering  the 
cheeks,  and  lying  up  in  ridges  and  ruffles  about  the  neck. 

3.  The  sheep  of  coarse-wool  fleeces  are  animals  of  larger 
frame.     Their  definite  origin  can  scarcely  be  traced.    The 
wild  sheep,  under  the  care  and  skill  of  human  intelligence, 
is  susceptible  of  improvement  in  almost  any  desired  di- 
rection.    The  coat  of  the  sheep  in  its  wild  state  is  a  mixt- 
ure of  short  hair  and  wool.     With  care  exercised  in  the 
selection  of  the  offspring,  and  assistance  in  procuring  its 
food,  this  coat  has  grown  less  hair  and  more  wool ;  then, 
with  favorable  conditions  of  climate  and  pasture,  size  of 
frame,  qualities  of  flesh,  and  length  of  wool  have  been  ob- 
tained.    In  this  way  has  come  the  Southdown  of  Eng- 
land, the  famous  mutton-sheep,  easily  distinguished  by  its 
round  body,  medium  wool,  and  dark-brown  head  and  legs. 
The  lambs  of  the  Southdown,  large  and  plump,  join  with 
green  peas  to  give  to  market- stalls  the  flavor  of  spring. 

4.  The  Leicester  and  Cots  wold  breeds  are  highly  es- 
teemed in  England  where  they  originated,  and  in  America 
where  they  have  been  introduced.     They  carry  the  largest 
frames  and  the  longest  wool.     For  mutton  they  are  good ; 
but  their  fleeces  attain  to  a  great  weight.     No  animals 
among  the   domestic   tribes    more   strikingly   show   the 
effects  of  liberal  care  than  do  these  large,  white,  woolly, 
clean-faced  sheep.     Upon  the  Highlands  of  Scotland,  or 
among  the  rocks  where  wild  sheep  and  goats  flourish,  they 
would  die.     Fat  pastures,  level  footing,  shelter  from  rough 
weather,  and  high  feeding,  are  absolutely  necessary  to 
their  existence.     They  are  the  pampered  aristocracy  of 
their  race,  and  there  is  little  poetry  about  them,  except 


WOOL-BEARERS   OF  THE  PASTURES. 


187 


when  a  small  group  of  them  give  picturesque  life  to  a 
distant  lawn. 

5.  The  sheep  of  ancient  pastoral  life  is  of  a  different 


Sheep-washing  in  Australia. 

sort.  It  was  smaller,  more  nimble  of  foot,  and  hardy  of 
constitution.  Its  large,  hollow  horns,  long  since  depend- 
ing upon  the  protection  of  the  pastor,  or  shepherd,  seemed 
at  a  loss  what  to  do  with  themselves ;  so  they  have  grown 
downward  and  curled  about  like  an  Alpine  horn.  These 
animals  love  the  rocky  steeps,  and  nibble  the  sweet  scat- 
tered tufts  of  the  mountain-sides.  The  shepherd  boy,  or 
girl,  with  crook  or  staff  and  faithful  dogs,  are  their  con- 
stant attendants.  From  these  groups  have  originated  those 
delicious  pastoral  scenes  from  which  the  poets  have  gath- 
ered the  choice  substance  of  their  idyls  and  madrigals. 
Our  pampered  and  fence-inclosed  flocks  can  give  little 
idea  of  those  charming  sketches  of  pastoral  life. 

6.  Of  the  domestic  sheep  Buffon  says  :  "  This  species 


188       NEIGHBORS    WITH  CLAWS  AND  HOOFS. 

appears  to  be  preserved  only  by  the  assistance  and  care  of 
man ;  it  seems  unable  to  subsist  by  itself.  The  reclaimed 
sheep  is  absolutely  without  resource  and  without  defense, 
The  ram  is  but  weakly  armed ;  its  courage  is  only  petu- 
lance. The  females  are  still  more  timid  than  the  males. 
It  is  fear  that  causes  them  to  assemble  in  flocks.  The 
slightest  noise  makes  them  throw  themselves  down  head- 
long or  crowd  one  against  the  other ;  and  this  fear  is  ac- 
companied with  the  greatest  stupidity,  for  they  know  not 
how  to  avoid  danger.  They  appear  not  even  to  see  the 
inconveniences  of  their  situation  ;  they  remain  obstinately 
where  they  are  exposed  to  rain  or  snow.  In  order  to 
oblige  them  to  change  their  situation  and  take  a  certain 
road,  a  leader  is  necessary,  whose  movements  they  follow 
at  every  step.  This  leader  would  himself  remain  motion- 
less with  the  rest  of  the  flock  if  he  were  not  driven  by  the 
shepherd  or  excited  by  the  sheep-dog,  which  knows  well 
how  to  defend,  direct,  separate,  reassemble  them,  and 
communicate  to  them  all  necessary  movements. 

7.  "They  are  of  all  animals  the  most  devoid  of  re- 
sources. Goats,  which  resemble  them  in  so  many  other 
respects,  have  much  more  sense.  They  know  how  to 
guide  themselves ;  they  avoid  danger  and  easily  familiar- 
ize themselves  with  new  objects,  while  the  sheep  neither 
retreats  nor  advances,  and  allows  its  lamb  to  be  taken 
away  without  anger  or  resistance  or  even  signifying  its 
grief  by  a  cry  differing  from  its  usual  bleat.  Neverthe- 
less, this  creature,  so  helpless  and  apathetic,  is  to  mankind 
the  most  valuable  of  all  animals,  and  of  the  most  immedi- 
ate and  extensive  use.  Alone  it  suffices  for  his  most  press- 
ing wants,  furnishing  both  food  and  clothing,  besides  the 
various  uses  of  fat,  milk,  skin,  entrails,  bones,  and  manure. 
Nature  seems  to  have  bestowed  nothing  upon  the  sheep 
that  does  not  serve  for  the  advantage  of  the  human  race.'" 


WOOL-BEARERS  OF  THE  PASTURES. 


189 


8.  The  structure  of  wool  is  different  from  that  of  hair, 
and  fits  it  perfectly  for  twisting  into  yarn  and  for  rolling 
into  felting.     Wool  was  wrought  into  garments  at  a  very 
early  period.     Many  passages  in  the  Bible  history  allude 
to  woolen  garments.     At  the  time  of  the  Macedonian  con- 
quest the  natives  of  India  wore  shawls  of  great  beauty. 
The  Greeks  learned  many  processes  of  woolen  manufact- 
ure from  the  Egyptians ;  and  the  Romans,  as  well  as  the 
people  of  Spain,  obtained  instruction  in  this  art  from  the 
Greeks.     In  these  days  the  manufacture  of  goods  from 
the  fleeces  of  sheep  is  an  immense  industry.     No  less  than 
thirty-five  processes  are  passed  through  to  transmute  the 
wool  into   cloth.      Among  these   are   sorting  the  wool, 
scouring,  washing,  drying,  dyeing,  carding,  spinning,  reel- 
ing, weaving,  shearing,  and  fulling. 

9.  The  simplicity  and  charm  of  ancient  times  are  still 
retained  among  the  shepherds  of  the  half -civilized  tribes 


Tartars  and  their  Flocks. 

of  Asia.  The  Tartars  and  Siberians  and  the  natives  of 
Thibet  still  follow  the  nomadic  life  of  mountain-shep- 
herds. The  pastures  of  different  localities  and  varying 


190       NEIGHBORS    WITH  CLAWS  AND  HOOFS. 

altitudes  in  the  mountains  and  table-lands  produce  their 
abundance  at  different  times  of  the  year ;  hence  the  flocks 
and  their  faithful  guardians  must  move.  These  people  in 
their  rude  way  manufacture  the  wool  of  their  flocks  into 
blankets  and  articles  of  personal  apparel. 

10.  The  Asiatic  argali,  a  large,  powerful  sheep  about 
three  feet  high  and  weighing  two  hundred  pounds,  is  the 
original  wild  sheep  of  the  mountains  of  Asia,  and  the 
source  of  a  valuable  domestic  breed.  Its  heavy  and  awk- 
ward horns  would  seem  to  be  a  burden  rather  than  a 
means  of  defense.  The  kebsch  is  an  African  species,  and 
is  remarkable  for  its  long  mane,  which  feature  has  led 
some  writers  to  class  it  as  a  goat.  Our  Rocky  Mountain 
sheep  is  an  argali,  and  is  called  a  big-horn  from  the  great 
size  of  these  ornaments  of  the  head.  It  inhabits  the 
northern  regions  of  the  Rocky  Mountains  and  the  Yellow- 
stone. 


CHAPTER   XXXII. 
MOUNTAIN    MILK-GIVERS. 

1.  THE  goat  is  closely  related  to  the  sheep,  from  which 
it  differs  in  features  that  are  familiar.  The  horns  worn 
by  both  sexes  always  turn  or  curve  backward ;  the  cover- 
ing is  more  of  hair  than  of  wool ;  the  chin  is  bearded,  and 
the  tail,  like  that  of  the  deer,  is  short.  "  The  goat  has 
more  intelligence  than  the  sheep,  and  soon  becomes  famil- 
iar and  attached ;  it  is  light,  active,  and  less  timid  than 
the  sheep.  It  is  capricious,  and  loves  to  wander,  to  climb 
steep  mountains,  sleeping  frequently  on  the  point  of  a 
rock  or  on  the  edge  of  a  precipice.  It  is  robust,  and  will 
feed  on  almost  any  plant."  Its  milk  is  said  to  be  more 


MOUNTAIN  MILK-GIVERS. 


191 


digestible  than  that  of  cows,  and  in  many  mountain-re- 
gions it  is  valued  for  its  milk  products,  cheese  and  butter. 
The  skins  of  the  goat  and  kid  are  valued  in  the  manufact- 
ure of  fine  shoes  and  gloves. 

2.  The  Rocky  Mountain  goat  resembles  the  merino 
sheep  in  figure  and  size.     Its  horns  are  small,  conical, 
smooth,  nearly  erect, 

and  jet-black.  Its 
outer  hair  is  long, 
straight,  white,  and 
soft,  and  hangs 
down  all  over  the 
body.  It  inhabits 
the  highest  and  most 
inaccessible  parts  of 
the  Rocky  Mount- 
ains, and  is  very 
difficult  to  procure. 
The  cashmere  goat, 
whose  home  is  in 
Thibet,  has  long, 
straight,  silky  hair,  large  pendent  ears,  and  slender  legs. 
Its  fleece  has  become  famous  by  the  rare  texture  of  the 
fabrics  into  which  it  enters.  The  cashmere  shawls  have 
great  value,  and  the  kingdom  of  Cashmere,  in  India,  has 
built  up  an  extensive  industry  in  the  manufacture  of  these 
articles.  It  operates  sixteen  thousand  looms,  and  turns 
out  thirty  thousand  shawls  annually.  It  requires  a  year 
to  make  a  single  shawl  of  a  rich  pattern. 

3.  The  angora  goat,  which  takes  its  name  from  the 
city  of  Angora,  in  Asia  Minor,  nearly  resembles  the  cash- 
mere species.     Its  hair  is  not  straight,  but  hangs  in  long, 
flowing  tresses  of  spiral  ringlets.     Its  fleece  is  used  in  the 
manufacture  of  beautiful  light  fabrics  called  zephyr-cloths. 


The  Rocky  Mountain  Goat. 


102        NEIGHBORS   WITH  CLAWS  AND  HOOFS. 

The  angora  has  been  successfully  raised  in  France,  and  in 
the  Southern  States  of  this  country.  It  is  more  tractable 
and  amiable  in  disposition  than  our  common  goat. 

4.  The    ibex    inhabits    the     mountainous    parts    of 
Europe,  and  combines  the  general  character  of  the  goat 
with  the  fleetness  of  the   antelope.      Colonel  Markham 
says  of  it :   "  All  readers  of  natural  history  are  familiar 

with  the  wonder- 
ful climbing  and 
leaping  powers  of 
the  ibex ;  and  al- 
though they  can  not 
(as  has  been  describ- 
ed in  print)  make  a 
spring  and  hang  by 
the  horns  until  they 
gain  a  footing,  yet 
in  reality,  for  such 
heavy  animals,  they 
get  over  the  most 
inaccessible  -  looking 
places  in  an  almost 
miraculous  manner. 
Nothing  seems  to 
stop  them,  nor  to  impede  their  progress  in  the  least. 

5.  u  To  see  a  flock,  after  being  fired  at,  take  a  distant 
line  across  country,  which  they  often  do,  over  all  sorts  of 
seemingly  impassable  ground,  now  along  the  naked  sur- 
face of  an  almost  perpendicular  rock,  then  across  a  formi- 
dable land-slip,  or  an  inclined  plane  of  loose  stones  or  sand, 
which  the  slightest  touch  sets  in  motion,  both  above  and 
below,  diving  into  chasms  to  which  there  seems  no  possi- 
ble outlet,  but  instantly  reappearing  on  the  opposite  side, 
never  deviating  in  the  slightest  from  their  course,  tmd  at 


The  Common  Ibex. 


MOUNTAIN  MILK-GIVERS.  193 

the  same  time  getting  over  the  ground  at  the  rate  of  some- 
thing like  fifteen  miles  an  hour,  is  a  sight  not  easily  to  he 
forgotten. 

6.  "  The  goat  possesses  great  natural  affection  for  its 
young,  and  uses  both  courage  and  artifice  in  their  defense. 
The  fox,  which  is  the  particular  enemy  of  the  whole  of 
the  sheep  kind,  does  not  fail  to  attempt  to  seize  the  young 
of  the  goat.   When  the  mother  discovers  the  fox  approach- 
ing, while  the  insidious  foe  is  yet  at  a  distance,  she  con- 
ceals her  offspring  in  some  thicket,  and  interposes  herself 
between  it  and  the  wily  marauder.     The  kid,  when  con- 
veyed to  this  retreat,  invariably  lies  close  and  still,  as  if, 
according  to  the  fable,  she  had  received  the  verbal  in- 
structions of  the  dam.     But   the  fox  generally  discovers 
the  retreat  of  the  kid,  and  a  contest  ensues  between  the 
rapacious  and  the  affectionate  animal.      The  manner  of 
these   contests  is  illustrated  by  the  following  anecdote, 
which  furnishes  an  affecting  instance  at  once  of  the  cour- 
age and  of  the  love  of  its  offspring  possessed  by  the  goat : 

7.  "  A  person  having  missed  one  of  his  goats  when  his 
flock  was  taken  home  at  night,  and  being  afraid  the  wan- 
derer would  get  among  the  young  trees  of  his  nursery, 
two  boys,  wrapped  in  their  plaids,  were  ordered  to  watch 
all  night.     The  morning  had  faintly  dawned,  when  they 
sprang  up  the  hill  in  search  of  her.     They  could  but  just 
discern  her  on  a  pointed  rock  afar  off ;  and,  hastening  to 
the  spot,  perceived  her  standing  with  a  newly-dropped 
kid  which  she  was  defending  against  a  fox.     The  enemy 
turned  round  and  round  to  lay  hold  of  his  prey,  but  the 
goat  presented  her  horns  in  every  direction. 

8.  "  The  youngest  boy  was  dispatched  to  get  assist- 
ance to  attack  the  fox,  and  the  eldest,  hallooing  and  throw- 
ing up  stones,  sought  to  intimidate  him  as  he  climbed  to 
rescue  his  charge.     The  fox  seemed  well  aware  that  the 

13 


194       NEIGHBORS  WITH  CLAWS  AND  HOOFS. 

child  could  not  execute  his  threats ;  he  looked  at  him  one 
instant,  and  then  renewed  the  assault,  till,  quite  impatient, 
he  made  a  sudden  effort  to  seize  the  kid.  The  whole  three 
disappeared,  and  were  found  at  the  bottom  of  the  preci- 
pice. The  goat's  horns  were  darted  into  the  back  of  the 
fox ;  the  kid  lay  stretched  beside  her.  It  is  supposed  the 
fox  had  fixed  his  teeth  in  the  kid,  for  its  neck  was  lacer- 
ated ;  but,  when  the  faithful  mother  inflicted  a  death- 
wound  upon  her  mortal  enemy,  he  probably  staggered, 
and  brought  his  victim  with  him  over  the  rock." 

9.  "  A  gentleman  who  had  taken  an  active  share  in 
the  rebellion  of  1715,  after  the  battle  of  Preston  escaped 
to  the  West  Highlands,  to  the  residence  of  a  female  rela- 
tive who  afforded  him  an  asylum.    As  it  was  soon  judged 
unsafe  for  him  to  remain  in  the  house  of  his  friend,  he  was 
conducted  to  a  cavern  in  a  sequestered  situation,  and  fur- 
nished with  a  supply  of  food.    The  approach  to  this  lonely 
abode  consisted  of  a  small  aperture,  through  which  he  crept 
and  dragged  his  provisions  along  with  him.     A  little  way 
from  the  mouth  the  roof  became  elevated,  but,  on  ad- 
vancing, an  obstacle  obstructed  his  progress  ;  unwilling  to 
strike  at  a  venture  with  his  dirk,  he  stooped  down  and 
discovered  a  goat  and  her  kid  lying  on  the  ground. 

10.  "  He  soon  perceived  that  the  animal  was  in  great 
pain,  and,  feeling  her  body  and  limbs,  ascertained  that 
one  of  her  legs  was  fractured.     He  bound  it  up  with  his 
garter,  and  offered  her  some  of  his  bread  ;  but  she  refused 
to  eat,  and  stretched  out  her  tongue,  as  if  intimating  that 
her  mouth  was  parched  with  thirst.     He  gave  her  water, 
which  she  drank  greedily,  and  then  she  ate  the  bread. 
At  midnight  he  ventured  from  the  cave,  pulled  a  quan- 
tity of  grass  and  the  tender  branches  of  trees,  and  carried 
them  to  the  poor  sufferer,  who  received  them  with  demon- 
strations of  gratitude.     The  only  thing  which  this  fugi- 


AGILE  DWELLERS  OF  MOUNTAIN  AND  PLAIN.  195 

tive  had  to  arrest  his  attention  in  his  drear  abode  was 
administering  comfort  to  the  goat ;  and  he  was  indeed 
thankful  to  have  any  living  creature  beside  him. 

11.  "  The  goat  quickly  recovered,  and  became  ten- 
derly attached  to  him.  It  happened  that  the  servant  who 
was  intrusted  with  the  secret  of  his  retreat  fell  sick,  when 
it  became  necessary  to  send  another  with  provisions.  The 
goat,  on  this  occasion,  happening  to  be  lying  near  the 
mouth  of  the  cavern,  opposed  his  entrance  with  all  her 
might,  butting  him  furiously ;  the  fugitive,  hearing  a  dis- 
turbance, went  forward,  and,  receiving  the  watchword 
from  his  new  attendant,  interposed,  and  the  faithful  goat 
permitted  him  to  pass.  So  resolute  was  the  animal  on 
this  occasion  that  the  gentleman  was  convinced  she  would 
die  in  his  defense." 


CHAPTER   XXXIII. 

AGILE    DWELLERS   OF    MOUNTAIN   AND    PLAIN. 

"  I'll  chase  the  antelope  over  the  plain, 
The  tiger's  cub  I  will  bind  with  a  chain, 
And  the  wild  gazelle  with  its  silvery  feet 
I  will  give  thee  for  a  playmate  sweet." 

1.  THE  antelope  is  one  of  those  creatures  that  remind 
us  of  the  essential  unity  of  different  animal  tribes.  It 
bears  strong  resemblances  to  the  ox,  the  goat,  and  the 
deer.  Like  the  ox  and  the  goat,  it  has  hollow,  and,  in 
most  cases,  permanent  horns.  Its  ability  to  spring  and 
climb  is  similar  to  though  far  surpassing  that  of  the  goat ; 
while  in  size,  general  outline  of  form,  and  habits  of  life, 
it  resembles  the  deer.  Its  horns  are  more  like  those  of 
the  goat,  curving  backward,  and  in  some  varieties  again 


196       NEIGHBORS   WITH  CLAWS  AND  HOOFS. 

turning  in  like  the  frame  of  a  lyre.  Most  of  the  ante- 
lopes are  remarkable  for  their  graceful  and  slender  make, 
the  structure  of  their  limbs  being  beautifully  adapted  for 
rapid  flight.  Their  eyes  are  large  and  lustrous,  and  their 
sight  and  scent  remarkably  keen. 

2.  The   American   antelope,  or  prong -buck,  of  the 
Rocky  Mountain  region  is  much  smaller  than  the  com- 
mon deer.     It  is  said  to  possess  glands  from  which  a  pun- 
gent odor  is  emitted  like  that  of  the  goat.     The  eye  of 
our  antelope  is  much  larger  than  that  of  the  deer,  the  ox, 
or  the  horse ;  is  intensely  black,  and  is  softened  with  a 
mild  and  gentle  expression.     This  animal  is  one  of  the 
swiftest-footed  of  all  quadrupeds,  and  its  speed  is  like  the 
flight  of  a  bird.     Its  horizontal  leaps  are  of  astonishing 
length,  though  it  refuses  to  vault  over  even  a  moderately 
high  fence.     Its  horns,  which  divide  into  two  prongs  near 
the  tip,  are  hollow ;  but  there  is  good  authority  to  believe 
that,  like  the  antlers  of  the  deer,  they  fall  off  and  are  re- 
newed. 

3.  "  The  antelopes  of  America  are  lean.     Being  fleet 
and  quick-sighted,  they  are  generally  the  victims  of  their 
curiosity,  for  when  they  first  see  the  hunter  they  run  with 
great  velocity.     If  he  lies  down  on  the  ground  and  lifts 
up  his  arm,  his  hat,  or  his  foot,  the  antelope  returns  on  a 
light  trot  to  look  at  the  object,  and  sometimes  comes  and 
goes  two  or  three  times,  till  it  gets  within  reach  of  the 
rifle.     Sometimes,  too,  they  leave  their  own  herd  to  go 
and  look  at  the  wolves,  who  crouch  down,  and,  if  the  an- 
telope be  frightened  at  first,  they  repeat  the  same  manoeu- 
vre, and  sometimes  relieve  each  other,  till  they  get  it  com- 
pletely separated  from  the  rest  of  the  herd,  when  they 
seize  it ;  but  generally  the  wolves  seize  the  antelopes  while 
they  are  crossing  the  rivers,  for  though  swift  of  foot  they 
are  bad  swimmers." 


AGILE  DWELLERS  OF  MOUNTAIN  AND  PLAIN.  197 


4.  The  chamois  of  the  Alpine  mountains,  though  like 
the  goat  in  appearance,  is  a  true  antelope.     A  short,  sud- 
den turn  backward  of  the 

tips  of  its  horns  distin- 
guishes it  from  all  other 
antelopes.  Attached  to  its 
hind-feet  are  false  hoofs, 
which  render  efficient  aid 
to  this  animal  when  it 
descends  precipitous  rocks. 
With  these  hoofs  it  hitches 
and  catches  on  every  irreg- 
ularity of  rock  or  shrub  in 
its  downward  slide.  It  does 
not  hesitate  to  leap  down 
an  almost  perpendicular 
precipice  of  twenty  or  thir- 
ty feet. 

5.  "  They  are  keen  of  scent,  shy,  and  vigilant.    When 
the  herd  either  feeds  or  reposes,  one  of  the  number  is 
posted  on  some  rock  to  leeward  of  them  to  give  warning 
of  approaching  danger,  and  his  instant  shrill  whistle  is  re- 
peated by  all,  the  younger  ones  escaping  to  windward, 
while  some  skip  in  great  agitation  from  rock  to  rock  to 
reconnoitre  till  they  are  reassured  or  move  off,  always,  if 
possible,  in  ascent  toward  the  most  inaccessible  cliffs.     If 
the  hunter  pursues  them  until  one  is  driven  to  some  point 
from  which  there  is  no  retreat,  it  is  said  that  it  will  pitch 
itself  down  upon  its  foe  and  dash  him  into  the  abyss  be 
low." 

6.  The  gazelles,  with  incurved,  lyre-shaped  horns,  are 
described  as  "  easily  recognizable  by  their  large,  round 
black  horns,  and  equally  remarkable  for  the  lightness  of 
their  form  and  the  elegance  of  their  proportions.     They 


The  Chamois. 


198       NEIGHBORS   WITH  CLAWS  AND  HOOFS. 

inhabit  the  vast  continent  of  Africa,  through  which  they 
roam  in  prodigious  herds  that  sometimes  appear  innumer- 
able, and  where  they  constitute  the  ordinary  prey  of  the 
lion  and  the  panther.  Nevertheless,  when  attacked  they 
are  not  without  some  means  of  defense.  Under  such  cir- 
cumstances, if  there  is  time  for  such  a  manoeuvre,  arrang- 
ing themselves  in  a  circular  phalanx  they  present  their 
formidable  horns,  disposed  as  thickly  as  the  bayonets  of  a 
regiment  of  soldiers,  and  when  thus  disposed  their  array 
is  not  easily  broken." 

7.  "As  the  traveler  advances  from  the  Cape  toward 
the  Sahara,  he  constantly  falls  in  with  new  antelopes,  and 
many  unknown  to  the  naturalist,  no  doubt,  will  still  roam 
in  the  undiscovered  interior  of  the  continent.     With  the 
exception  of  the  ox  or  cow-like  species,  such  as  the  eland, 
whose  clumsier  proportions  and  heavier  gait  remind  one 
of  our  domestic  cattle,  the  antelopes  generally  resemble 
the  deer  tribe  by  their  elegant  forms,  their  restless  and 
timid  disposition,  and  their  proverbial  swiftness.     Their 
horns,  whatever  shape  they  assume,  are  round  and  annu- 
lated,  in  some  species  straight,  in  others  curved  and  spiral. 
In  some  the  females  have  no  horns ;  in  others  they  are 
common  to  both  sexes.     They  all  possess  a  most  delicate 
sense  of  smell,  and  their  eyes  are  proverbially  bright  and 
beaming.      The  largest  of  all  the  antelope  tribe  is  the 
bubale,  or  wild  ox  of  the  Arabs. 

8.  "  Few  of  the  numerous  African  antelopes  are  more 
entitled  to  our  notice  than  the  graceful  spring-bok,  which 
has  earned  its  name  from  the  surprising  and  almost  per- 
pendicular leaps  it  makes  when  startled.     It  bounds  to  the 
height  of  ten  or  twelve  feet  with  the  elasticity  of  an  India- 
rubber  ball,  clearing  at  each  leap  from  twelve  to  fifteen 
feet  of  ground  without  apparently  the  slightest  exertion. 
In  performing  this  astonishing  leap,  it  appears  for  an  in- 


AGILE  DWELLERS   OF  MOUNTAIN  AND  PLAIN.  199 

stant  as  if  suspended  in  the  air,  when  down  come  all  four 
feet  again  together,  and,  striking  the  plain,  away  it  soars 
as  if  about  to  take  flight." 


The  Biibale. 

9.  "  I  have,"  says  Mr.  Drtimmond,  "  personally  ridden 
down  the  eland  on  several  occasions,  though,  as  they  are 
the  slowest  antelope  in  Africa,  it  is  no  great  feat  to  do  so. 
Sometimes  a  young  cow  in  low  condition  will  give  one  a 
real  gallop,  there  being  much  the  same  difference  between 
it  and  a  corpulent  old  bull  as  between  a  wild  young  High- 
land two-year-old  able  with  ease  to  clear  a  five-barred  gate 
and  a  stall-fed  ox  fit  for  Smithfield." 

10.  The  giraffe,  or  camelopard,  has  its  home  in  South- 


200        NEIGHBORS   WITH  CLAWS  AND  HOOFS. 

em  Africa.  It  is  an  animal  of  striking  appearance  and 
many  resemblances.  It  is  a  ruminant  with  permanent 
horns  in  both  sexes.  A  careful  study  of  its  features  will 
discover  in  the  giraffe  a  likeness  to  the  camel,  the  ox,  the 
deer,  the  antelope,  the  goat,  and  the  ostrich.  It  is  the 
tallest  four-footed  animal  in  existence,  measuring  in  some 
cases  from  eighteen  to  twenty  feet  from  the  top  of  its 
head  to  the  ground.  "Its  feet,  which  are  like  those  of 
the  goat,  endow  it  with  the  dexterity  of  that  animal.  It 
bounds  over  wide  ravines  with  incredible  power.  Horses 
can  not  in  such  situations  compete  with  it. 


The  Giraffe  and  its  Neighbor 


11.  "  The  giraffe  is  fond  of  a  wooded  country.     The 
leaves  of  trees  are  its  principal  food.     Green  herbs  are 


AGILE  DWELLERS   OF  MOUNTAIN  AND  PLAIN.  201 

also  very  agreeable  to  this  animal ;  but  its  structure  does 
not  admit  of  its  feeding  on  them  in  the  same  manner  as 
our  other  domestic  animals,  such  as  the  ox  and  the  horse. 
It  is  obliged  to  straddle  widely.  Its  two  fore-feet  are 
gradually  stretched  apart  from  each  other,  and  its  neck 
being  then  bent  in  a  semicircular  form,  the  animal  is  thus 
enabled  to  collect  tne  grass ;  but  on  the  instant  that  any 
noise  interrupts  its  repast,  it  raises  itself  with  rapidity  and 
takes  to  immediate  flight.  The  giraffe  eats  with  great 
delicacy  and  takes  its  food  leaf  by  leaf,  collecting  them 
from  the  trees  by  means  of  its  long  tongue.  It  rejects 
the  thorns,  and  in  this  respect  differs  from  the  camel." 

12.  "  The  giraffe  during  flight,"  says  Anderssen,  "  does 
not  move  the  limbs  of  either  side  alternately,  but  swings 
forward  the  two  legs  of  the  same  side  at  the  same  instant, 
so  that  it  is  one  of  the  most  curious  sights  imaginable  to 
see  a  troop  of  these  animals  at  full  speed,  balancing  them- 
selves to  and  fro  in  a  manner  not  easily  described,  and 
whisking  their  tails  tufted  at  the  end,  while  their  long 
and  tapering  necks,  swaying  backward  and  forward,  fol- 
low the  motion  of  their  bodies."     And  Dr.  Livingstone 
says  :  "  Such  is  the  strength  of  these  colossal  quadrupeds 
that  they  are  not  to  be  approached  without  danger,  and 
we  are  told  that  old  sportsmen  are  careful  not  to  go  too 
close  to  a  giraffe's  tail,  for  this  animal  can  swing  his  hind- 
foot  round  in  a  way  which  would  leave  little  to  choose  be- 
tween a  kick  with  it  and  a  blow  from  the  arm  of  a  wind- 
mill." 

13.  After  man,  the  giraffe's  chief  enemy  is  the  lion, 
who  often  waits  for  it  in  the  thick  brakes  on  the  margin 
of  the  rivers  or  pools,  and  darts  upon  it  with  a  murderous 
'spring  while  it  is  slaking  its  thirst.     Anderssen  once  saw 
five  lions,  two  of  whom  were  in  the  act  of  pulling  down  a 
splendid  giraffe,  while  the  other  three  were  watching  close 


202       NEIGHBORS    WITH  CLAWS  AND  HOOFS. 

at  hand  the  deadly  strife  ;  and  Captain  Harris  relates  that, 
while  he  was  encamped  on  the  banks  of  a  small  stream,  a 
camelopard  was  killed  by  a  lion  while  in  the  act  of  drink- 
ing at  no  great  distance  from  the  wagons.  It  was  a  noisy 
affair  ;  but  an  inspection  of  the  scene  on  which  it  occurred 
proved  that  the  giant  strength  of  the  victim  had  been  par- 
alyzed in  an  instant. 

14:.  One  of  the  most  singular  of  all  the  antelope  species 


The  G-nu. 


is  the  gnu,  or,  as  it  is  popularly  called,  the  "  horned  horse." 
At  first  sight  it  has  the  appearance  of  being  made  up  of 
portions  of  several  other  quadrupeds.  It  is  about  the  size 
of  a  half -grown  colt,  and  it  has  the  body  and  croup  of  a 
horse.  It  is  covered  with  short,  brown  hair^  and  it  has  a 


ANTLERED   TENANTS  OF  THE  WOODS.         203 

white  tail,  flowing  like  that  of  a  horse.  It  has,  moreover, 
a  mane  upon  the  center  of  its  neck.  At  a  distance  it  is 
said  to  resemble  the  lion. 

15.  But,  in  spite  of  its  appearance,  the  gnu  is  a  true 
ruminant,  and  a  near  kin  to  the  other r  antelopes,  with 
whom  it  associates.      It  has  low,  bent  horns,  something 
like  those  of  the  Cape  buffalo,  and  it  is  furnished  with 
cloven  feet,  which  exhibit  all  the  lightness  of  those  of  a 
stag.    The  flesh  resembles  venison,  and  is  highly  esteemed 
by  both  hunters  and  natives. 

16.  Captain  Harris  says :  "  While  crossing  the  wide 
plains  of  the  Yaal  River  we  had  an  opportunity  of  re- 
marking the  very  similar  appearance  of  the  lion  and  the 
gnu,  and  in  twice  witnessing  the  animated  but  abortive 
pursuit  of  a  herd  of  gnus  by  an  enormous  lion,  rendered 
furious  by  the  qualms  of  hunger,  and  still  more  desper- 
ately frantic  by  the  disappointment  entailed  by  the  slip- 
pery heels  of  his  intended  victims,  who,  on  both  occasions, 
left  their  grim  pursuer  far  behind,  puffing  and  blowing, 
to  grumble  over  the  loss  of  the  morning  repast  which  he 
had  vainly  promised  himself." 


CHAPTER    XXXIV. 
ANTLERED   TENANTS   OF   THE   WOODS. 

"  I  know  where  the  timid  fawn  abides 

In  the  depths  of  the  shaded  dell, 
Where  the  leaves  are  broad  and  the  thicket  hides, 
With  its  many  stems  and  its  tangled  sides, 

From  the  eye  of  the  hunter  well." 

1.  THE  parent  of  this  "  timid  fawn,"  so  artfully  hid- 
den, and  whose  secret  place  the  Indian  knows  so  well,  is 


204:       NEIGHBORS   WITH   CLAWS  AND  HOOFS. 

the  American  or  Virginian  deer.  It  belongs  to  that  class 
of  ruminating  animals  the  males  of  which  carry  large 
branching,  solid  horns,  that  fall  oft'  and  are  renewed  every 
year.  The  deer -hunt  in  the  wilder  regions  of  North 
America  is  an  exciting  sport,  and  often  trying  to  the 
nerves  of  the  young  and  inexperienced  sportsman.  A 
writer  in  "  Scribner's  Monthly  "  gives  a  graphic  sketch  of 
such  an  occasion,  from  which  the  following  descriptive 
selections  are  made : 

2.  "  The  deer  of  the  region  is  the  Cervus  Virginianus, 
or  common  deer  of  America,  which  is  distributed  over 


The  Red  Deer  with  Branching  Antlers, 

such  a  large  area  of  our  continent.  Of  the  deer  killed  by 
our  party,  there  were  no  less  than  three  that  weighed  over 
two  hundred  and  twenty-five  pounds.  It  is  the  most 
beautiful  of  the  Cervidce,  and  in  its  graceful  carriage,  its 


ANTLERED   TENANTS  OF  THE   WOODS.        205 

exquisite  agility,  and  the  delicacy  and  symmetry  of  its 
form,  no  other  animal  approaches  it.  The  eye  of  the 
deer  is  large,  and  has  the  softest  and  most  tender  expres- 
sion. 

3.  "  The  fawns,  betraying  by  their  spots  a  former  char- 
acteristic of  their  species,  are  timid,  pretty  little  things,, 
They  do  not  seem  to  have  the  instinct  which  leads  the  adult 
animal  to  the  water  when  pursued,  and  consequently,  when 
the  dog  gets  on  the  scent  of  a  fawn,  he  will  hunt  it  boot- 
lessly  for  hours,  to  the  great  annoyance  of  his  master.     A 
young  fawn,  just  born,  knows  no  fear  of  man.     If  picked 
up,  fondled  for  a  few  minutes,  and  carried  a  little  dis- 
tance, it  will,  when  put  down,  follow  one  just  as  it  would 
its  mother. 

4.  "  A  tremendous  uproar  awoke  me  at  the  moment 
when,  for  the  hundredth  time,  my  rifle  had  exasperated  me. 

It  was  Mr.  B shouting :  <  Breakfast !  breakfast  1  Turn 

out  for  breakfast !     The  captain's  up  and  waiting  ! '     It 
was  half-past  four,  and  everybody  woke  up  at  the  sum- 
mons, as  was,  indeed,  unavoidable.     Down-stairs   there 
was  a  prodigious  sizzling  and  sputtering  going  on.  and 
the  light  through  the  floor  betrayed  Mrs.  Brumfield  and 
her  frying-pans  and  coffee-pot,  all  in  full  blast.    We  were 
all  down-stairs  in  a  few  minutes  and  outside  making  a 
rudimentary  toilet   with   ice-water   and  a  bar  of   soap. 
Breakfast  was  ready — plenty  of  rashers  of  bacon,  fried 
and  boiled  potatoes,  fried  onions,  bread  and  butter,  and 
coffee,  hot  and  strong. 

5.  "  These  were   speedily  disposed  of.     Cc  its  were 
buttoned  up,  rubber  blankets  and  ammunition-belts  slung 
over  shoulders,  cartridge  magazines  filled,  hatchets  stuck 
into  belts,  rifles  shouldered,  and  out  we  sallied  into  the 
darkness,  through  which  the  faintest  glimmer  of  gray  was 
just   showing  in   the   east.     After  a  couple  of  hundred 


206       NEIGHBORS    WITH  CLAWS  AND  HOOFS. 

yards  of  climb,  crawl,  and  tumble  through  one  of  the 
swamps,  my  companion  took  his  place  under  the  shelter 
of  the  cedars,  and  indicated  mine  at  a  little  distance  up 
the  river.  The  wind  howled  down  through  the  trees,  and 
clouds  of  yellow  and  russet  leaves  came  sailing  into  the 
river,  and  hurried  away  upon  the  surface.  I  was  unde- 
niably, miserably  cold. 

6.  "  But  hark  !     I  seized  my  rifle.     Yes,  there  it  was, 
sure  enough,  the  bay  of  the  dog  in  the  distance  !    I  forgot 


Bucks  fighting. 

to  be  cold.  Nearer  it  came,  and  nearer  and  nearer,  and 
each  moment  I  thought  would  bring  the  deer  crashing 
through  the  thickets  into  the  river.  Nearer  and  nearer 
came  the  dogs,  until  their  deep  bays  resounded  and  echoed 
through  the  forest  as  if  they  were  in  a  great  hall.  But 
no  deer  appeared,  and  the  dogs  held  their  course,  on, 


ANTLEBED   TENANTS  OF  THE   WOODS.        207 

down,  parallel  with  the  river.  i  Better  luck  next  time,'  I 
said  to  myself,  somewhat  disconsolately ;  but  I  was  disap- 
pointed. Presently  the  sharp,  ringing  crack  of  a  rifle 
rang  out  and  reverberated  across  the  forest ;  another  and 
another  followed,  and,  as  I  began  to  get  cold  again,  I  tried 
to  console  myself  by  meditating  on  the  luck  of  other 
people. 

7.  "At  camp,  the  doctor  was  the  center  of  an  animated 
circle.   He  was  most  unreasonably  composed,  as  I  thought, 
and  told  us,  with  his  German  equanimity,  how  Jack  and 
Pedro  had  run  in  a  large  buck,  which  immediately  swam 
down  the  middle  of  the  river.     He  fired  from  his  place 
on  the  side  of  a  bluff,  and  missed.     At  the  second  shot  he 
succeeded  in  hitting  the  deer  in  the  neck.    As  if  this  were 
not  sufficient,  there  presently  appeared  a  very  pretty  fawn, 
whose   young  hopes  were  promptly   blighted.     During 
the  afternoon,  Curtis  brought  both  deer  up  to  camp  and 
dressed  them.     The  buck  was  finely  antlered,  and  was 
estimated  to  weigh  two  hundred  pounds. 

8.  "  Six  days  passed,  and  a  dozen  deer  were  hanging 
in  the  barn,  and  I  was  quite  guiltless  of  the  death  of  any 
of  them.     The  next  day,  five  deer  were  killed,  without 
any  participation  upon  my  part,  and  in  the  evening  some 
of  us,  with  lanterns,  went  down  to  the  river  to  secure  one 
that  had  lodged  somewhere  in  the  drift-wood.    We  found 
it  by  the  light  of  the  birch-bark.     As  we  made  our  way 
along  the  bank,  our  backwoodsman  would  pick  out  here 
and  there  a  large  white  birch,  and  apply  a  match  to  the 
curling  ringlets  of  bark  at  the  foot  of  the  trunk.     In  a 
moment  the  whole  stem  of  the  tree  was  in  a  roaring  blaze 
that  lit  up  the  river-bank  all  round  about,  and  made  the 
great  cedars  look  like  gigantic  skeletons. 

9.  "  Next  morning  I  was  at  my  place,  subdued  and 
hopeful.     I  heard  a  shot  fired  on  the  river  below  me  ;  I 


203       NEIGHBORS   WITH  CLAWS  AND  HOOFS. 

heard  the  baying  of  the  dogs,  and  listened  to  it  as  it  died 
away  in  the  direction  of  some  other  runway.  But  I 
watched  steadily.  And  as  I  watched  I  saw  the  brush 
about  some  cedar-roots  open,  and  out  there  sprang  into 
the  shallow  water  a  noble  buck.  He  was  a  stalwart, 
thickset  fellow,  his  legs  were  short  and  compact,  his  fur 
was  dark  in  its  winter  hue,  and  his  antlers  glistened  above 
his  head.  He  bore  himself  proudly,  as  he  stood  in  the 
water  and  turned  to  listen  for  the  bay  of  the  dogs  he  had 
outrun. 

10.  "I  hesitated  a  moment,  doubtful  if  I  should  let 
him  go  into  the  stream  and  swim  down,  or  shoot  him  as 
he  stood.     I  chose  the  latter,  aimed  quietly  and   confi- 
dently, and  fired.    He  pitched  forward  ;  the  current  seized 
him,  and  he  floated  down  with  it  past  me,  dead.   In  eight 

minutes  by  my  watch  Mr.  M 's  "  Jack  "  came  to  the 

bank,  at  the  spot  where  the  buck  had  come  in,  and  howled 
grievously  over  the  lost  scent.     He  was  worn  out  and 
battered,  and  he  came  to  me  gladly  when  I  called  him. 

11.  "  I  had  brought  some  luncheon  down  with  me  in 
the  morning,  and  I  must  confess  that  I  was  weak  enough 
to  give  Jack  every  bit  of  it.     That  afternoon,  when  I 
reached  camp,  I  found  that  I  was  the  last  to  come  in,  and 
that  my  buck  had  already  been  seen,  and  his  size  noted,, 
I  was  received  with  acclamations,  and  a  proposition  to 
gird  me,  as  a  measure  of  affected  precaution,  with  the 
hoops  of  a  flour-barrel,  was  made  and  partly  carried  into 
execution.     There  were  sung,  moreover,  sundry  snatches 
of  the  foresters'  chorus  from  '  As  You  Like  It ' : 

*  What  shall  he  have  that  killed  the  deer  ? ' " 

12.  The  elk,  or  moose,  the  largest  of  the  deer  tribe,  is 
distinguished  by  its  great  size,  its  awkward  shape,  and  its 
broad,  palmated  horns.     A  writer  in  the  magazine  above 


The  Moose. 


ANTLERED  TENANTS  OF  THE 


quoted  says  :  "  A  fall-grown  moose  slieds  his  horns  in  the 

month  of  January,  and  they  are  not  restored  again  until 

the  end  of  August.     By  this  time  the  velvet  has  been 

worn  off,  and  the 

horns  are   a  rich 

fawn-color,  shaded 

or    marked    with 

dark  brown,  and 

polished  by  hav- 

ing been  rubbed 

on  the   stems   of 

the     poplar     and 

larch.     The  fights 

which  now  occur 

between   the    old 

males  are  terrific.     Greek  has  met  Greek,  and  the  com- 

bat is  often  prolonged  until  their  horns  become  inextrica- 

bly interlaced,  and  both  animals  die  a  miserable  death. 

13.  "  Early  in  May,  the  cow-moose  brings  forth  two, 
sometimes  three  calves,  of  a  dark  fawn-color,  and  slightly 
dappled.  It  has  been  affirmed  that  the  cow-moose  retires 
to  some  sequestered  spot,  in  order  to  protect  her  young 
from  the  attacks  of  bears,  and  also  of  the  bull-moose  ;  but 
I  am  of  opinion  that  the  latter  is  not,  at  any  time,  very 
distant  from  the  cow  and  her  calves.  On  one  occasion, 
in  the  early  summer,  I  saw  an  old  cow-moose  with  two 
calves  come  out  from  an  island  in  a  lake  and  disport  in 
the  water.  Presently  a  bull-moose  came  out  of  the  forest, 
at  a  little  distance  from  them,  and  began  to  eat  the  roots 
of  the  yellow  pond-lily,  which  he  procured  by  diving  for 
them  and  bringing  them  to  the  surface  of  the  water  in  his 
teeth.  While  he  was  still  feeding  the  cow  and  her  calves 
retired," 


210       NEIGHBORS    WITH  OLA  WS  AND  HOOFS, 

CHAPTER   XXXV. 

THE    LAPLANDER'S   TREASURE. 

1.  THE  American  caribou  answers  to  the  reindeer  of 
the  extreme  north  of  Europe.     It  roams  over  a  vast  range 
of  territory,  being  found  as  far  south  as  Maine,  in  New- 
foundland, and  on  the  bleak  barrens  of  Labrador.     Like 
the  reindeer,  both  sexes  of  the  caribou  wear  large,  branch- 
ing antlers ;  and  they  are  compact  in  form  and  possessed 
of  great  speed.     The  color  of  the  caribou  is  dark  fawn,  or 
light  gray  ;  that  of  the  Lapland  reindeer  is  brown,  grow- 
ing white  as  winter  approaches.     The  caribou,  or  reindeer 
of  America,  is  the  game  of  the  Indian  or  the  sportsman, 
and  is  never  domesticated.     The  Lapp  reindeer  is  found 
wild  in  large  numbers,  but  is  chiefly  noted  as  the  domestic 
animal  of  many  uses  to  the  inhabitants  of  a  barren,  winter 
land ;  and  this  is  a  description  of  it  and  its  home,  given 
by  Mr.  Bowden : 

2.  "  The  reindeer  furnishes  its  master,  the  wandering 
Lapp,  or  native  of  Norwegian  Lapland,  with  food ;  warm 
fur  coats  are  made  from  its  skin,  as  well  as  excellent 
leather;  spoons,  forks,  and  other  articles  are  made  from 
its  horns ;  while  the  only  household  gods  that  the  poor 
Lapp  possesses  are  made  from  the  bones,  sinews,  or  mus- 
cles of  the  same  serviceable  creature.     The  reindeer  also 
draws  its  master's  sledge,  and  transports  his  worldly  goods 
from  one  place  to  another.     The  nerves  and  sinews  of  the 
animal  are  dried ;  then  they  are  softened  by  being  steeped 
for  some  days  in  water,  when  they  are  worked  up  and 
made  into  an  article  resembling  flax.     A  substance  as  fine 
as  cotton,  and  much  stronger,  is  manufactured  from  this 
flax.     The  weaving  apparatus  looks  like  a  large  white 
comb,  and  is  made  of  the  broad,  frontal  horns  of  the  rein- 


THE  LAPLANDER'S   TREASURE. 


211 


deer.     The  hide  is  tanned,  and  makes  strong,  durable  har- 
ness, boots,  and  other  articles. 


Lapps  and  Reinde&r, 

3.  "  The  reindeer  harness  is  of  leather,  manufactured 
from  the  hide  of  the  animal.  It  is  very  strong,  and  is 
ornamented  with  scarlet  cloth  ;  for  the  Lapp  has  a  mania 
for  bright  colors.  The  scarlet  housings  are  adorned  with 
the  hair  of  the  deer,  dyed  black  for  the  purpose,  and  em- 
broidered artistically;  the  scarlet  and  black  colors  form 
an  agreeable  contrast.  In  speaking  of  the  harness  we 
allude  to  the  collar  which  goes  around  the  reindeer's  neck, 
as  well  as  the  reins  which  are  fastened  to  it.  The  initials 
of  the  owner's  name  are  worked  on  this  scarlet  collar  with 
black  thread.  The  reindeer  is  fastened  to  the  sledge  by 
a  single  strap,  so  that  it  is  harnessed  in  a  moment,  and  is 
then  ready  to  start  off  on  its  journey.  The  traveling- 


212       NEIGHBORS   WITH  CLAWS  AND  HOOFS. 

sledge  is  made  of  birch-wood ;  it  is  pointed  at  the  end, 
runs  on  a  kind  of  wide  keel,  and  resembles  a  coffin  in 
shape.  It  travels  with  incredible  swiftness  over  the 
snow. 

4.  "  When  a  colony  of  Lapps  is  moving  from  place  to 
place,  their  numerous  sledges  have  a  rather  pretty  effect. 
This  is  especially  the  case  when  a  number  of  sledges, 
drawn  by  reindeer,  are  passing  over  a  broad  sheet  of 
frozen  water.     The  sledges,  the  Lapps  with  their  wives 
and  children,  and  the  numbers  of  the  dogs,  running  at  the 
top  of  their  speed,  render  the  sight  a  most  novel  and  in- 
teresting one.     The  tame  reindeer  is  by  no  means  of  an 
amiable  disposition.      It  is  by  nature  vicious,  and,  when 
drawing  the  sledge,  the  Lapp  has  but  little  control  over 
it;  it  often  becomes  restive,  stands  suddenly  still,  and 
kicks  out  behind.     Then  it  will  occasionally  stop  when 
running  at  full  speed,  turn  round,  and  coolly  attack  its 
driver  with  its  horns. 

5.  "  In  this  predicament  the  Lapp  turns  the  sledge 
completely  over,  and  gets  underneath  ;  the  reindeer  then 
pokes  away  at  the  sledge  with  its  horns,  but  injures  itself 
more  than  its  master.     When  the  vicious  brute  has  ex- 
pended its  wrath  in  this  manner,  and  ceases  its  attack  on 
the  sledge,  the  Lapp  quietly  emerges,  sets  the  sledge  on 
its  keel  again,  seizes  the  reins  once  more,  and  continues 
his  journey  as  if  nothing  unusual  had  happened. 

6.  "  Like  the  wild  reindeer,  the  tame  species  has  many 
enemies,  and  numbers  fall  victims  to  the  bear,  the  wolf, 
and  the  glutton.     The  tame  reindeer  is  neither  so  bold 
nor  so  powerful  an  animal  as  the  wild,  and,  when  attacked 
by  beasts  of  prey,  it  makes  but  little  resistance.      The 
tame  reindeer  feeds  principally  upon  various  kinds  of 
lichens,  and  is  driven  to  the  f  jelds  in  summer  to  search 
for  them.     In  winter  it  finds  the  same  kind  of  food  under 


THE  LAPLANDER'S  TREASURE. 


213 


the  snow,  when  its  frontal  horns  are  very  useful  in  scraping 
away  the  snow  from  the  places  where  the  lichens  grow. 

7.  "  When  out  grazing  on  the  f  jelds,  the  reindeer  are 
prevented  from 
wandering  too 
far  by  men 
who  are  regu- 
larly employed 
to  watch  them, 
and  who  are  as- 
sisted in  their 
labors  by  dogs. 
Some  Lapps 
have  as  many 
as  forty  dogs  to 
keep  the  rein- 
deer together, 
and  to  drive 
them  home  to 
be  milked. 
These  animals 
are  as  sagacious 
as  Engl  i  sh 
sheep-dogs,  and 
can  distinguish 

their  respective  charges  by  some  instinctive  recognition 
of  their  faces.  The  Lapp  is  neither  kind  nor  gentle  to  his 
dogs,  but  keeps  them  in  a  state  of  semi-starvation — they 
have  to  depend  for  their  food  on  the  bones  of  the  reindeer 
that  are  thrown  to  them,  or  to  the  licking  out  of  the  pots 
as  they  lie  round  the  Lapp's  tent.  A  grim  joke  is  extant 
in  Norway,  to  the  effect  that  the  Lapp  is  too  lazy  to  clean 
his  pots  and  pans,  so  he  keeps  his  dogs  hungry  to  do  it 
for  him. 


Reindeer  and  Glutton. 


214       NEIGHBORS    WITH  CLAWS  AND  HOOFS, 

8.  "A  reindeer-cheese   is   a  particularly   unpleasant- 
looking,  article  of  food.     It  is  flat  and  round,  like  a  huge 
muffin.     Its  flavor  is  very  little  better  than  its  look.     It 
is  said  that  the  oil  extracted  from  a  reindeer-cheese  by 
holding  it  before  the  fire  is,  if  applied  to  the  affected  part, 
a  sure  remedy  for  the  cure  of  frost-bite.     When  residing 
among  them,  the  food  is  the  most  trying  part  of  the  affair, 
for  one  soon  tires  of  reindeer- venison.     Breakfast  among 
this  primitive  people  consists  of  reindeer-milk,  to  which 
all  help  themselves  out  of  the  same  pot,  and  generally 
with  the  same  spoon.     The  dinner  consists  of  reindeer 
venison  and  soup ;  at  the  supper,  reindeer-cheese  is  served 
out. 

9.  "  When  the  meal  is  ready,  the  master  of  the  house- 
hold takes  his  place  near  the  huge  copper  pan  in  which 
the  reindeer  venison  and  soup  are  cooked  ;  the  wife,  chil- 
dren, and  servants,  range  themselves  in  a  row,  waiting  to 
begin.      The  head  of  the  family  then  gravely  sticks  his 
fork  into  a  piece  of  venison,  drags  it  out,  and  begins  to 
eat  it.     The  others  do  the  same,  and  the  only  respect  paid 
to  the  master  is  this :  when  a  servant  hooks  out  a  piece  of 
venison  that  is  particularly  fat  and  inviting,  he  puts  it 
into  the  pot  again,  giving  his  master  a  grin  as  he  does  so, 
as  much  as  to  say,  '  That  belongs  to  you  by  right,  O  mas- 
ter ! '     When  this  is  done,  the  master  gives  a  grunt  of 
satisfaction,  and  complacently  sticks  his  fork  into  the  re- 
served morsel  of  venison." 


THE  SHIP   OF  THE  DESERT. 


215 


CHAPTER    XXXVI. 

THE    SHIP    OF   THE    DESERT. 

1.  THE  camel  is  a  four-footed,  ruminating  animal  so 
peculiarly  adapted  to  traverse  great  seas  of  sand  that  it  is 
called  in  the  figurative  language  of  Eastern  nations  the 
"ship  of  the  desert."  It  is  found  in  Asia  and  Africa, 
where  it  is  used  for  transportation  over  the  broad  and  bar- 
ren plains  destitute  of  both  food  and  water.  There  are 


The  Arabian  Camel. 

two  species,  the  Bactrian  camel  of  Asia,  which  has  two 
humps  on  its  back,  and  the  Arabian  camel,  which  has  but 
one  hump.  The  two-humped  animal  walks  with  more 
ease  over  moist  ground,  and  is  larger  and  stronger  than 
the  other.  The  Arabian  camel  is  sober  and  possessed  of 


216       NEIGHBORS    WITH  CLAWS  AND  HOOFS. 


great  powers  of  endurance.  The  lightest  and  swiftest  of 
this  sort  are  called  dromedaries,  and  are  used  chiefly  to 
carry  passengers.  The  flesh  and  milk  of  this  animal  are 
used  for  food,  and  their  hair  is  made  into  clothing,  shawls, 
and  carpets. 

2.  The  camel  has  on  each  foot  two  toes,  wrhich  are 
united  and  covered  underneath  by  a  sole  or  tough  pad, 

which  adapts  it  for 
pressing  upon  the 
sand,  but  would  be 
useless  on  rocky  or 
slippery  ground. 
"  From  time  imme- 
morial," says  Figu- 
ier,  "  the  camel  has 
been  the  only  means 
of  bearing  commod- 
ities across  the  des- 
ert. By  means  of 

this  patient  and  strong  animal,  merchandise  finds  its  way 
from  the  remote  countries  of  Asia  as  far  as  the  eastern  con- 
flnes  of  Europe.  The  rich  products  of  Arabia,  ages  past, 
were  brought  to  Phoenicia  on  the  backs  of  camels ;  and  in 
our  time,  in  the  same  way,  merchandise  is  borne  to  Alexan- 
dria, whence  it  is  distributed  over  the  European  Continent. 

3.  "The  better  to  fit  the  camel  for  its  arduous  life, 
the  Arab  trains  it  to  do  without  sleep,  and  to  suffer  all  the 
extremes  of  hunger,  thirst,  and  heat.     A  few  days  after 
its  birth  its  legs  are  bent  under  its  stomach,  and  it  is  com- 
pelled to  remain  crouched  upon  the  ground  laden  with  a 
suitable  weight,  which  is  gradually  increased  with  its  age. 
As  it  arrives  at  maturity  its  food  is  restricted  and  given  at 
longer  intervals ;  it  is  also  practiced  in  running  and  en- 
during severe  exercise. 


The  C'umei's  loot. 


THE  SHIP   OF  THE  DESERT. 


217 


4.  "  A  camel  laden  with  five  or  six  hundred  pounds' 
weight  will  travel  eight  or  ten  leagues  a  day  under  a  burn- 
ing sun  with  no  other  food  than  a  few  handfuls  of  grain, 
a  small  number  of  dates,  or  a  little  pellet  of  maize-paste. 
It  will  go  ten  days  without  drinking;  but  when  it  ap- 
proaches a  pool  it  scents  it  at  a  great  distance,  redoubles 
its  pace,  eagerly  pushes  for  the  coveted  necessary  of  life, 
and  drinks  for  the  past,  the  present,  and,  alas !  too  often 
for  a  long  future." 

5.  The  faculty  which  the  camel  possesses  of  dispens- 
ing with  water  for  a  long  time  is  due  to  the  fact  that  it 
carries  internally  a  reservoir  of  water,  which  it  uses  in 
case  of  necessity.     The  digestive  organs,  like  that  of  other 
ruminants,  is  composed  of 

four  different  stomachs. 
There  is  also  a  bag  which 
is  divided  into  cubical  re- 
ceptacles or  reservoirs  for 
water.  The  ability  to  en- 
dure a  long  time  without 
food  is  explained  by  the 
hump  on  the  camel's  back. 
This  hump  incloses  a  large 
amount  of  fat,  which  is 
absorbed  by  the  hungry 
system  and  operates  as 
nourishment.  After  a 
long  and  weary  joumey 
the  hump  collapses  and 
the  animal  grows  thin. 

6.  From  the  descrip- 
tion of   George  William 

~        .  The  Camel's  Head. 

Curtis  we  learn  that  "a 

camel  excites  no  sentiment  or  affection  in  the  Western, 


21S       NEIGHBORS   WITH  CLAWS  AND  HOOFS. 

nor  did  I  observe  any  indication  of  the  Arab's  love  for 
the  animal.  He  is  singularly  adapted  to  his  business  of 
walking  over  the  desert,  but  is  awkward  and  cross,  and 
destitute  of  any  agreeable  trait.  His  motion  is  ludicrous- 
ly stiff  and  slow.  He  advances  as  if  his  advent  were  the 
coming  of  grace  and  beauty,  and  the  carriage  of  his  neck 
and  head  is  comically  conceited  beyond  words.  My  camel 
never  suggested  a  pleasurable  emotion  to  me  but  once, 
and  that  was  on  the  first  morning,  when,  as  we  moved 
from  camp,  he  lifted  his  head  toward  the  desert  and 
sniifed  as  if  he  tasted  home  and  his  natural  freedom  in 
the  polluted  air. 

7.  "  The  camels  seem  to  be  only  half  tamed ;  and  some- 
times, seduced  by  the  fascination  of  the  desert's  breath, 
they  break  from  the  caravan  and  dash  away  in  a  wild, 
grotesque  trot,  straight  into  the  grim  silence  of  the  wilder- 
ness, bearing  the  luckless  Howadji  upon  a  voyage  too 
vague,  and  pursued  by  the  yells  and  moans  of  the  Bedou- 
een.     They  are  guided  by  a  halter  slipped  behind  their 
ears  and  over  the  nose,  and  they  swing  their  flexible 
necks  like  ostriches. 

8.  "In  the  first  desert  days  I  sometimes  thought  to 
alter  the  direction  of  my  beast  by  pulling  the  halter ;  but 
I  gathered  in  its  whole  length,  hand  over  hand,  and  only 
drew  the  long  neck  quite  round,  so  that  the  great  stupid 
head  was  almost  between  my  knees,  and  the  hateful  eyes 
stared  mockingly  at  my  own.      I  learned  afterward  to 
guide  the  animal  by  touching  the  side  of  the  neck  with  a 
stick. 

9.  "The  pasha's  was  a  smaller  beast  than  mine,  and 
looked  and  acted  like  a  cassowary.     The  Arabs  called  him 
El  Shiraz,  and  the  commander's  was  dubbed  Pomegranate 
by  the  same  relentless  poets.     Mine  was  an  immense,  for- 
midable brute.     He  was  called  by  a  name  which  seemed 


TEE  SHIP   OF   THE  DESERT. 


219 


to  me,  naturally  enough,  to  sound  like  Booby,  a  name 
which  the  commander  interpreted  to  be  one  of  the  titles 
of  a  beautiful  woman.  But  the  great,  scrawny,  bald  back 


Tlie  CameVs  Head  in  Profile. 

of  his  head,  and  his  general  rusty  toughness  and  clumsi- 
ness, insensibly  begat  for  him  in  my  mind  the  name  of 
MacWhirter,  and  by  that  name  he  was  known  so  long  as 
I  knew  him. 

10.  "  The  motion  of  the  camel,  which  is  represented 
as  very  wearisome,  we  found  to  be  soothing.  The  mo- 
notonous swing  made  me  intolerably  drowsy  in  the  still, 
warm  mornings,  and  the  dragomen  tell  tales  of  Howadji 
who  drop  asleep  as  they  ride,  and  who,  losing  their  bal- 
ance, break  arms,  legs,  and  necks,  in  their  fall  to  the 


220       NEIGHBORS   WITH  CLAWS  AND  HOOFS. 

ground.  The  tedium  of  camel-riding  is  its  sluggishness, 
for  although  the  beasts  can  trot  so  that  the  sultans  and 
the  caliphs  have  dispatched  expresses  in  eight  days  from 
Cairo  to  Damascus,  yet  the  trot  of  the  usual  traveling- 
camel  is  very  hard.  The  pasha's  El  Shiraz  had  a  suffi- 
ciently pleasant  trotting  gait;  bat  MacWhirter's  exer- 
tions in  that  kind  shook  my  soul  within  me. 

11.  "  Yet  with  all  this  the  effect  of  the  motion  of  the 
camel,  separated  from  his  awkward  and  ridiculous  form 
and  its  details,  is  stately  and  dignified ;  so  much  so,  in- 
deed, that  the  imagination  would  select  him  first  as  the 
bearer  of  a  dignitary  in  a  pageant.     Covered  with  long, 
sweeping  draperies,  which  should  conceal  him  entirely, 
and  his  rounded  hump  spread  with  heavy  carpets,  he  pre- 
sents a  moving  throne  for  a  caliph  or  a  sultan  in  his  des- 
ert progress  of  dignity  unsurpassed.     The  rider  sits  su- 
preme above  the  animal  and  over  the  earth,  and  the  long, 
languid  movement  harmonizes  with  the  magnificent  mo- 
notony of  the  scene." 

12.  Bayard  Taylor  also  writes :  "  I  found  dromedary- 
riding  not  at  all  difficult.     One  sits  on  a  very  lofty  seat, 
with  his  feet  crossed  over  the  animal's  shoulders  or  resting 
on  his  neck.     The  body  is  obliged  to  rock  backward  and 
forward  on  account  of  the  long,  swinging  gait,  and  as 
there  is  no  stay  or  fulcrum  except  a  blunt  pommel,  around 
which  the  legs  are  crossed,  some  little  power  of  equilib- 
rium is  necessary.     My  dromedary  was  a  strong,  stately 
beast  of  a  light  cream  color,  and  so  even  of  gait  that  it 
would  bear  the  Arab  test,  that  is,  one  might  drink  a  cup 
of  coffee  while  going  on  a  full  trot  without  spilling  a 
drop. 

13.  "  I^found  a  great  advantage  in  the  use  of  the  Ori- 
ental costume.     My  trousers  allowed  the  legs  perfect  free- 
dom of  motion,  and  I  soon  learned  so  many  different 


THE  SHIP   OF  THE  DESERT. 


221 


modes  of  crossing  those  members  that  no  day  was  suffi- 
cient to  exhaust  them.  The  rising  and  kneeling  of  the 
animal  is  hazardous  at  first,  as  his  long  legs  double  to- 
gether like  a  carpenter's  rule,  and  you  are  thrown  back- 
ward and  then  forward,  and  then  backward  again ;  but 
the  trick  is  soon  learned.  The  soreness  and  fatigue  of 
wrhich  many  travelers  complain  I  never  felt,  and  I  attrib- 
ute much  of  it  to  the  Frank  dress.  I  rode  from  eight 
to  ten  hours  a  day,  read,  and  even  dreamed  in  the  saddle, 
and  was  at  night  as  fresh  and  unwearied  as  when  I  mount- 
ed in  the  morning. 


Camels  and  Arabs. 


14.  "My  caravan  was  accompanied  by  four  Arabs. 
They  owned  the  camels,  which  they  urged  along  with  a 
shrill,  barbaric  song,  the  burden  of  which  was,  '  O  Proph- 
et of  God,  help  the  camels  and  bring  them  safely  to  our 


222       NEIGHBORS   WITH  OLA  WS  AND  HOOFS. 

journey's  end ! '  They  were  very  susceptible  to  cold,  and 
a  temperature  of  fifty  degrees,  which  we  frequently  had 
in  the  morning,  made  them  tremble  like  aspen-leaves,  and 
they  were  sometimes  so  benumbed  that  they  could  scarce- 
ly load  the  camels.  They  were  proud  of  their  enormous 
heads  of  hair,  which  they  wore  parted  on  both  temples, 
the  middle  portion  being  drawn  into  an  upright  mass  six 
inches  in  height,  while  the  side  divisions  hung  over  the 
ears  in  a  multitude  of  little  twists. 

15.  "  These  love-locks  they  anointed  every  morning 
with  suet,  and  they  looked  as  if  they  had  slept  in  a  hard 
frost  until  the  heat  had  melted  the  fat.  I  thought  to  nat- 
ter one  of  them  as  he  performed  the  operation  by  exclaim- 
ing, '  Beautiful ! '  but  he  coolly  answered :  '  You  speak  the 
truth  ;  it  is  very  beautiful.'  The  Arabs  wore  long  swords 
carried  in  a  leathern  scabbard  over  the  left  shoulder,  and 
sometimes  favored  us  with  a  war-dance,  which  consisted 
merely  in  springing  into  the  air  with  a  brandished  sword 
and  turning  around  once  before  coming  down.  They 
were  all  very  devout,  retiring  a  short  distance  from  the 
road  to  say  their  prayers  at  the  usual  hours,  and  perform- 
ing the  prescribed  ablutions  with  sand  instead  of  water." 


CHAPTER    XXXVII. 
SOME   COUSINS   OF  THE   CAMEL 

1.  THE  llama  is  an  inhabitant  of  the  mountainous 
regions  of  Peru  and  Chili.  About  the  height  of  a  small 
horse,  and  possessing  some  of  the  characteristics  of  the 
sheep,  it  really  belongs,  by  its  structure  and  use,  to  the 
family  of  the  camel.  From  a  remote  date  it  has  been  to 


SOME   COUSINS  OF  THE   CAMEL. 


223 


the  Peruvians  what  the  reindeer  is  to  the  Lapps  or  the 
camel  to  the  merchant  of  the  desert,  the  one  animal  of 


The  Llama  of  the  Andes. 

many  uses.     Besides  being  a  beast  of  burden,  it  has  fur- 
nished the  Peruvians  with  food  and  clothes. 

2.  Like  the  camel,  the  llama  has  two  toes  on  each  foot ; 
hard  caps,  or  callosities,  on  its  breast ;  and  the  peculiar 
formation  of  the  stomach  for  storing  water.  Unlike  the 
camel,  its  toes  are  entirely  separated,  and  armed  with 
claws  or  talons  to  catch  upon  smooth  surfaces,  though  on 
the  under  side  the  toes  are  provided  with  easy  cushions. 
It  is  evident  that,  while  the  camel  is  adapted  to  move  on 


224       NEIGHBORS   WITH  CLAWS  AND  HOOFS. 

the  sandy  plain,  the  llama  is  peculiarly  suited  to  rougher 
and  more  uneven  footing. 

3.  The  llama,  and  its  cousins  the  alpaca,  or  paca,  and 
the  smaller  vicunia,  find  their  most  agreeable  home  on  the 
highly  elevated  plains  or  mountain-tables  of  the  Andes. 
Between  eight  and  twelve  thousand  feet  high  is  their  favor- 
ite altitude,  and  they  are  apt  to  suffer  or  die  when  com- 
pelled to  live  on  lower  levels.    "  The  alpaca  is  a  variety  of 
the  llama  remarkable  for  the  length  and  fleecy  softness  of 
its  hair  ;  its  head  is  shorter  than  that  of  the  llama,  and  the 
texture  of  the  fleece  is  very  peculiar,  insomuch  that  for 
the  manufacture  of   a  variety  of  textile   fabrics  it   has 
recently  become  extremely  valuable  as  an  article  of  com- 
merce. 

4.  u  The  color  of  the  alpaca  is  very  variable ;  some 
individuals  are  jet-black,  others  brown,  pied,  or  spotted. 
The  Peruvians  do  not  employ  this  animal  as  a  beast  of 
burden  in   their  native  country,  but  prize  it  solely   on 
account  of  its  wool,  of  which  pouches  are  made.     The 
vicunia,  another  variety  of  the  same  race,  is  not  larger 
than  a  sheep  ;  its  hair,  or  rather  wool,  is  extremely  soft 
and  so  fine  as  to  be  employed  in  the  manufacture  of  the 
most  costly  fabrics." 

5.  An  old  writer  on  Peru,  in  1544,  says :  "  In  places 
where  there  is  no  snow,  the  natives  want  water,  and  to 
supply  this  they  fill  the  skins  of  sheep  with  water,  arid 
make  other  living  sheep  carry  them  ;  for  it  must  be  re- 
marked that  these  sheep  of  Peru  are  large  enough  to  serve 
as  beasts  of  burden.     They  can  carry  about  one  hundred 
pounds  or  more,  and  the  Spaniards  used  to  ride  them,  and 
they  would  go  four  or  five  leagues  a  day.     When  they  are 
weary  they  lie  down  upon  the  ground,  and  as  there  are  no 
means  of  making  them  get  up,  either  by  beating  or  assist- 
ing them,  the  load  must  of  necessity  be  taken  off.     When 


SOME  COUSINS  OF  THE  CAMEL 


225 


there  is  a  man  on  one  of  them,  if  the  beast  is  tired,  and 
urged  to  go  on,  he  turns  his  head  around,  and  discharges 
his  saliva,  which  has  an  unpleasant  odor,  into  the  rider's 
face. 

6.  "  These  animals  are  of  great  use  and  profit  to  their 
masters,  for  their  wool  is  very  good  and  fine,  particularly 
that  of  the  species  called  pacas,  which  have  very  long 
fleeces.  And  the  expense  of  their  food  is  trifling,  as  a 


The  Paca. 


iiandful  of  maize  suffices  them,  and  they  can  go  four  or 
five  days  without  water.  Their  flesh  is  as  good  as  that  of 
the  fat  sheep  of  Castile."  These  animals  were  domes- 
ticated from  a  remote  antiquity,  as  is  evident  from  the 
35 


226       NEIGHBORS   WITH  CLAWS  AND  HOOFS. 

fact  that  in  the  graves  of  the  Incas,  the  original  inhabit- 
ants, clothing  made  from  alpaca-wool  has  been  found. 

7.  Squier,  in   his   descriptive    sketches   of   Peruvian 
travel,  writes :  "  The  merchants  of  Tacna  have  built  here 
a  rude  inclosure  for  the  droves  of  llamas  that  come  from 
the  interior  with  products  for  the  coast,  and  here  is  also  a 
little  cluster  of  buildings  for  persons  connected  with  the 
trade,  homely  and  poor,  but  a  welcome   refuge  for  the 
tired  traveler.     As  we  rode  up,  a  troop  of  more  than  a 
thousand  llamas,  with  proudly -curved  necks,  erect  heads, 
great,  inquiring,  timid  eyes,  and  suspicious  ears  thrust  for- 
ward to  catch  the  faintest  sound  of  danger,  each  with  its 
hundred  pounds  of  ore  secured  in  sacks  on  its  back,  led, 
not  driven,  by  quaintly  costumed  Indians,  filed  past  us 
into  the  inclosure  of  the  establishment." 

8.  "  The  Spaniards  were  amazed,"  says  Prescott,  "  by 
the  number  as  well  as  the  magnitude  of   the  flocks  of 
llamas  which  they  saw  browsing  on  the  stunted  herbage 
that  grows  in  the  elevated  regions  of  the  Andes.     Some- 
times they  were  gathered  in  in  closures,  but  more  usually 
wore  roaming  at  large  under  the  conduct  of  their  Indian 
shepherds  ;  and  the  conquerors  now  learned,  for  the  first 
time,  that  these  animals  were  tended  with  as  much  care, 
and  their  migrations  as  nicely  regulated,  as  those  of  the 
vast  flocks  of  merinos  in  their  own  country. 

9.  "  Of  the  four  varieties  of  the  Peruvian  sheep,  the 
llama,  the  one  most  familiarly  known,  is  the  least  valuable 
on  account  of  its  wool.     It  is  chiefly  employed  as  a  beast 
of  burden,  for  which,  although  it  is  somewhat  larger  than 
any  of  the  other  varieties,  its  diminutive  size  and  strength 
would  seem  to  disqualify  it.     It  carries  a  load  of  little 
more  than  a  hundred  pounds,  and  can  not  travel  above 
three  or  four  leagues  a  day.     But  all  this  is  compensated 
by  the  little  care  and  cost  required  for  its  management 


SOME  COUSINS  OF  THE  CAMEL.  227 

and  its  maintenance.  It  picks  up  an  easy  subsistence  from 
the  moss  and  stunted  herbage  that  grows  scantily  along 
the  withered  sides  and  steppes  of  the  Cordilleras. 

10.  "  The  structure  of  its  stomach  enables  it  to  dis- 
pense with  any  supply  of  water  for  weeks,  nay,  months 
together.     Its  spongy  hoof,  armed  with  a  claw  or  pointed 
talon  to  enable  it  to  take  secure  hold  on  the  ice,  never  re- 
quires to  be  shod ;  and  the  load  laid  upon  its  back  rests 
securely  in  its  bed  of  wool  without  the  aid  of  girth  or 
saddle.     The  llamas  move  in  troops  of  five  hundred,  or 
even  a  thousand,  and  thus,  though  each  individual  carries 
but  little,  the  aggregate  is  considerable.     The  whole  cara- 
van travels  on  at  its  regular  pace,  passing  the  night  in  the 
open  air,  without  suffering  from  the  coldest  temperature, 
and  marching  in  perfect  order,  and  in  obediencs  to  the 
voice  of  the  driver." 

11.  And  Hartwick,  in  "  The  Tropical  World,"  says : 
"  The  llama,  and  its  near  relations,  the  alpaca,  the  huanacu, 
and    the  vicunia,  the  largest  four  footed  animals  which 
Peru  possessed  before  the  Spaniards  introduced  the  horse 
or  the  ox.  are  all  natives  of  the  Puna.     Long  before  the 
invasion  of  Pizarro,  the  llama  was  used  by  the  Peruvians 
as  a  beast  of  burden,  and  was  not  less  serviceable  to  them 
than  the  camel  to  the  Arabs  of  the  desert.     The  wool 
served  for  the  material  of  a  coarse  cloth ;  the  milk  and 
flesh  as  food ;  the  skin  as  a  warm  covering  or  mantle  ;  and 
without  the  assistance  of  the  llama  it  would  have  been 
impossible  for  the  Indians  to  transport  goods  or  provis- 
ions on  the  high   table-lands  of   the  Andes,  or   for  the 
Incas  to  have  founded  and  maintained  their  vast  empire. 

12.  "  The  llama  is  also  historically  remarkable  as  the 
only  animal  domesticated  by  the  aboriginal  Americans. 
The  reindeer  of  the  north  and  the  bison  of  the  prairies 
enjoyed  then,  as  they  do  now,  their  savage  independence ; 


228      NEIGHBORS   WITH  OLA  WS  AND  HOOFS. 

the  llama  alone  was  obliged  to  submit  to  the  joke  of  man. 
The  Indians  often  travel  with  large  herds  of  llamas  to  the 
coast  to  fetch  salt.  Each  day  these  journeys  are  very 
short,  for  the  llamas  never  feed  after  sunset,  and  are  thus 
obliged  to  graze  while  journeying,  or  to  rest  for  several 
hours.  While  reposing  they  utter  a  peculiar  low  tone, 
which  at  a  distance  resembles  the  sound  of  an  ^Eolian 
harp. 

13.  "A  loaded  herd   of   llamus  traversing  the  high 
table-lands  affords  an  interesting  spectacle.     Slowly  and 
stately  they  proceed,  casting  inquisitive  glances  on  every 
side.     On  seeing  any  strange  object  which  excites  fears, 
they  immediately  scatter  in  every  direction,  and  their 
poor  drivers  have  great  difficulty  to  gather  the  herd.     The 
Indians,  who  are  very  fond  of    these   animals,  decorate 
their  ears  with  ribbons,  hang  little  bells  about  their  necks, 
and  always  caress  them  before  placing  the  burden  on  their 
back.     When  one  of  them  drops  from  fatigue,  they  kneel 
at  its  side  and  strive  to  encourage  it  for  further  exertion 
by  a  profusion  of  flattering   epithets  and  gentle  warn- 
ings." 

14.  The  musk-deer,  about  the  size  of  a  half-grown 
common  deer,  is  remarkable  on  account  of  the  entire  ab- 
sence of  horns,  and  because,  though  a  ruminant,  it  has,  in 
the  upper  jaw  of  the  males,  canine  teeth.     It  is  a  beauti- 
ful little  creature,  inhabiting  the  mountainous  districts  of 
Siberia,  China,  and  Thibet.     Its  name  is  derived  from  the 
pouch  which  it  carries  filled  with  the  perfume  of  musk. 

15.  Mr.  Wilson  says  of   it :    "  This  persecuted  little 
animal  would  probably  have  been  left  to  pass  a  life  of 
peace  and  quietness  in  its  native  forests,  but  for  the  cele- 
brated perfume  with  which  Nature  has  provided  it.     Its 
skin  being  worthless  from  its  small  size,  the  flesh  alone 
would  hold  out  no  inducement  to  hunt  it  while  larger 


FOOT-HANDED  FOXES  AND  SQUIRRELS.      229 

game  was  more  easily  procurable.     An  ounce  of  musk  may 
be  considered  the  average  for  a  full-grown  animal. 

16.  "  From  the  first  high  ridge  above  the  plains  to  the 
limits  of  the  forest  on  the  snowy  range,  and  for  perhaps 
the  whole  length  of  the  chain  of  the  Himalayas,  the  musk- 
deer  may  be  found  on  every  hill  of  an  elevation  of  above 
eight  thousand  feet  which  is  clothed  with  forest.  On  the 
lower  ranges  it  is  comparatively  a  rare  animal,  being  con- 
fined to  near  the  summits  of  the  highest  hills,  as  an  ap- 
proach to  the  colder  forests  near  the  snow  ;  but  it  is  no- 
where numerous,  and  its  retired  and  solitary  habits  make 
it  appear  still  more  rare  than  it  really  is." 


CHAPTER    XXXVIII. 
FOOT-HANDED    FOXES   AND    SQUIRRELS. 

1.  WE  are  now  to  make  the  acquaintance  of  a  singmar 
group  of  animals.    On  a  hasty  glance  they  would  be  called 
four-footed,  like  many  other  animals ;  but  they  are  really 
foot-handed.     Both  on  their  extremities,  before  and  be- 
hind, they  have  fingers  and  thumbs,  which  are  long,  flexi- 
ble, and  prehensile.     Their  arms,  as  well  as  their  legs,  are 
long,  and  this  structure  adapts  them  to  the  climbing  of 
trees,  where  they  are  most  at  home,  and  where  their  food 
is  chiefly  found.      They  are  awkward  walkers   on   the 
ground,  and  with  difficulty  maintain  an  upright  position 
on  their  hind-legs.      By   their  agility  and  supple  limbs 
they  are  enabled  to  imitate  many  human  gestures,  and 
often  exhibit  caricatures  of  human  beings. 

2.  The  lemur,  or  fox-headed  monkey,  is  an  inhabitant 
of  Madagascar  and  neighboring  islands.     In  their  native 


230       NEIGHBORS   WITH  CLAWS  AND  HOOFS. 

home  they  live  in  societies,  upon  trees,  and  feed  mostly 
upon  fruits.     Their  head  is  fox-shaped,  their  hair  is  soft 


The  White-footed  Lemur. 

and  woolly,  and  they  are  easily  tamed.  They  are  gentle 
and  show  affection  for  those  who  care  for  them.  "  If  two 
lemurs  are  together  in  a  cage,  they  sit  close,  with  their 
tails  folded  round  each  other's  bodies,  so  as  to  form  one 
round  ball,  from  which,  when  disturbed,  two  heads  make 
their  appearance.  They  may  be  kept  at  liberty  in  a  room, 
having  little  of  the  mischievous  disposition  of  other  monk- 
eys. They  usually  take  their  food  in  their  hands,  but 
sometimes  eat  bread  without  holding  it.  In  drinking,  they 
lap  like  a  dog." 

3.  The  aye-aye,  from  its  appearance,  takes  a  position 


FOOT-HANDED  FOXES  AND  SQUIRRELS.      231 

midway  between  the  lemur  and  the  squirrel.  It  is  a  native 
of  Madagascar,  and,  when  full  grown,  is  about  eighteen 
inches  long.  The  structure  of  its  teeth,  made  necessary 
by  its  habits  of  life,  is  quite  like  that  of  the  squirrel,  or 
rodents.  It  is  strictly  nocturnal  in  its  habits,  and  there- 
fore in  its  native  forest  is  seldom  seen.  During  the  day 
it  sleeps  in  holes  in  the  ground.  Mr.  Wallace  says :  "  But 
its  most  remarkable  character  is  found  in  its  fore-feet,  or 
hands,  the  fingers  of  which  are  all  very  long,  and  armed 
with  sharp,  curved  claws ;  but  one  of  them,  the  second,  is 
wonderfully  slender,  being  not  half  the  thickness  of  the 
others.  This  peculiar  structure  adapts  it  to  feeding  upon 
small,  wood-boring  insects. 

4.  "  Its  strong  feet  and  sharp  claws  enable  it  to  cling 
firmly  to  the  branches  of  trees,  in  almost  any  position  ;  by 
means  of  its  large,  delicate  ears,  it  listens  for  the  sound  of 
the  insect  gnawing  within  the  branch,  and  is  thus  able  to 
fix  its  exact  position ;  with  its  powerful,  curved,  gnawing 
teeth,  it  rapidly  cuts  away  the  bark  and  wood,  till  it  ex- 
poses the  burrow  of  the  insect,  most  probably  the  soft 
larva  of  some  beetle,  and  then  comes  into  play  the  ex- 
traordinary long,  wire-like  finger,  which  enters  into  the 
burrow,  and,  with  the  sharp,  bent  claws,  brings  out  the 
grub. 

5.  "  Here  we  have  a  most  complex  adaptation  of  dif- 
ferent parts  and  organs,  all  converging  to  one  special  end, 
that  end  being  the  same  as  is  reached  by  a  group  of  birds, 
the  woodpeckers,  in  a  different  way ;  and  it  is  a  most  in- 
teresting fact  that,  although  woodpeckers  abound  in  all 
the  great  continents,  they  are  quite  absent  from  Madagas- 
car.    We  may,  therefore,  consider  that  the  aye-aye  really 
occupies  the  same  place  in  nature,  in  the  forests  of  this 
tropical  island,  as  do  the  woodpeckers  in  other  parts  of  the 
worldo" 


232       NEIGHBORS   WITH  CLA  WS  AND  HOOFS. 


6.  Professor  Owen  studied  an  aye-aye  which  he  held 
in  captivity,  and,  after  feeding  it  fruits,  observed  its  pro- 
pensity to  gnaw  the  sides  of  the  cage.     He  introduced  a 

piece  of  worm-eat- 
en wood  into  the 
cage,  and,  of  the 
actions  of  the  ani- 
mal, says :  "  Pres- 
ently he  came  10 
one  of  the  worm- 
eaten  branches, 
which  he  began 
to  examine  most 
attentively,  and, 
bending  forward 
his  ears,  and  ap- 
plying his  nose  to 
the  bark,  he  rap- 
idly tapped  the 
surface  with  his 
second  finger,  as 
a  woodpecker  taps 

The  Aye-Aye.  a  tree,  from  time 

to  time  inserting 

the  end  of  his  finger  into  the  hole.  At  length  he  came  to 
a  part  of  the  branch  which  gave  out  an  interesting  sound, 
and  began  to  tear  with  his  strong  teeth.  He  rapidly 
stripped  off  the  bark,  cut  into  the  wood,  and  exposed  the 
nest  of  the  grub,  which  he  daintily  picked  out,  and  con- 
veyed the  luscious  morsel  to  his  mouth." 

7.  The  flying-cat,  of  the  East  Indian  Islands,  appears 
to  cousin  closely  with  the  bat.     There  are  no  thumbs  on 
any  of  its  four  limbs,  nor  are  its  fingers  long,  like  those 
of  the  bat.     But  its  long  and  slender  limbs  are  connecter1 


HOWLERS  AND    WEEPERS. 


by  a  membrane,  wide- 
ly opened  by  the 
limbs,  which  serves 
as  a  parachute,  assist- 
ing it  to  spring  from 
tree  to  tree.  It  is 
not  able  to  maintain 
itself  in  the  air,  and 
hence  is  not  a  true 
flier.  Its  length  is 
about  eighteen  inch- 
es, and  it  sleeps  dur- 
ing the  day,  in  low 
hills,  which  it  chooses 
for  its  dwelling-place.  The  Fl>jin(J  Lemur' 

These  lemurs  feed  upon  fruits  and  young  leaves,  and  prey 
upon  plantations  of  cocoa  and  palm. 


CHAPTER    XXXIX. 

HOWLERS  AND  WEEPERS   OF  AMAZONIAN   FORESTS. 

1.  SOUTH  AMERICA  may  be  said  to  be  noted  as  the 
home  of  the  monkey  tribe.  The  great  forests  of  the  trop- 
ical regions  are  filled  with  the  cries,  yells,  and  roarings, 
by  night  and  by  day,  of  countless  troops  of  these  quadru- 
mana,  roaming  through  the  tree-tops.  Some  of  the  fami- 
lies are  diurnal  and  some  nocturnal,  and  so  the  noises 
never  cease.  They  embrace  all  sizes,  from  the  big  howler 
down  to  the  tiny  marmoset,  not  larger  than  a  flying-squir- 
rel. They  all  possess  a  degree  of  intelligence  and  cunning 
somewhat  akin  to  that  of  the  human  species.  Nearly  all 
have  prehensile  tails,  which  give  them  the  advantage  of  a 


234       NEIGHBORS   WITH  CLAWS  AND  HOOFS. 

fifth  hand  in -clinging  to  their  frail  support,  and  in  swing- 
ing from  branch  to  branch. 

2.  A  very  striking  feature  of  most  South  American 
monkeys  is  the  strong  resemblance  they  bear  to  the  In- 
dians of  the  forest  regions,  just  as  those  of  Africa  are  said 
to  resemble  the  negro,  and  those  of  the  Indian  Archipelago 
the  Malay  race.  Some  of  them  look  so  much  like  Indians 
that  one  can  not  help  imagining  there  exists  a  near  rela- 
tionship between  these  tribes  of  forest-dwellers.  Hum- 
boldt  says  of  the  howler :  "  The  face  of  this  singular 
monkey  is  nearly  concealed  by  a  sandy,  bushy  beard,  ex- 


[frsine  Howlers. 

tending  below  and  projecting  considerably  beyond  his  chin, 
giving  him  a  very  dignified  appearance.  So  striking  is 
their  resemblance  to  the  human  species  that,  once  having 
shot  one,  I  almost  felt  as  though  I  had  committed  murder. 
When  I  raised  the  poor  creature  from  the  ground,  upon 
which  he  had  fallen,  his  large  gray  eyes  were  bathed  in 
tears,  and  every  feature  expressed  the  deepest  agony. 
3.  "  Casting  upon  me  a  most  eloquent  look  of  reproach, 


HOWLERS  AND    WEEPERS.  235 

lie  endeavored  to  push  me  aside  ;  but,  too  much  enfeebled 
by  his  wound,  lay  down  and  calmly  resigned  himself  to 
the  gaze  of  my  English  companions,  who  discussed  and 
disputed  about  the  division  of  his  still  panting  body — one 
wanting  the  skin  for  a  smoking-cap,  and  the  drum  of  his 
throat  for  the  bowl  of  his  pipe,  while  the  other  would  be 
contented  with  nothing  less  than  the  whole  carcass.  For 
my  own  part,  I  only  desired  to  get  out  of  sight  of  the 
dying  creature ;  and,  shouldering  my  gun,  departed  in  a 
mood  which  determined  me  never  again  to  lift  my  hand 
against  these  innocent  wild  men  of  the  woods." 

4.  The  largest  of  the  South  American  monkeys  is  the 
ursine  howler,  named  from  the   loudness  of  his  voice. 
Wallace  gives  this  description  of  it :  "  Often,  in  the  great 
forests  of  the  Amazon  or  Orinoco,  a  tremendous  noise  is 
heard  in  the  night  or  early  morning,  as  if  a  great  assem- 
blage of  wild  beasts  were  all  roaring  and  screaming  to- 
gether.   The  noise  may  be  heard  for  miles,  and  it  is  louder 
and  more  piercing  than  that  of  any  other  animals ;  yet  it 
is  all  produced  by  a  single  male  howler,  sitting  on  the 
branch  of  some  lofty  tree.     They  are  able  to  make  this 
noise  by  means  of  an  organ  possessed  by  no  other  animal. 

5.  "  The  lower  jaw  is  unusually  deep,  and  this  makes 
room  for  a  hollow,  bony  vessel,  about  the  size  of  a  large 
walnut,  situated  under  the  root  of  the  tongue,  and  having 
an  opening  into  the  windpipe,  by  which  the  animal  can 
force  air  into  it.     This  increases  the  power  of  its  voice, 
acting  something  like  the  hollow  case  of  a  violin,  and 
producing  those  marvelous,  rolling  sounds,  which  caused 
Waterton  to  declare  that  they  were  such  as  might  have 
had  their  origin  in  the  infernal  regions.     The  howlers  are 
large  and  stout-bodied  monkeys,  with  bearded  faces,  and 
very  strong  and  powerfully  grasping  tails.     They  inhabit 
the  wildest  forests.     They  are  very  shy,  and  are  seldom 


236       NEIGHBORS    WITH  CLAWS  AND  HOOFS. 

taken  captive,  though  they  are  less  active  than  many  othei 
American  monkeys." 


The  Jaguar  among  the  Howlers. 

6.  In  traveling  toward  the  llanos,  south  of  Caracas, 
Hurnboldt  came  into  the  neighborhood  of  these  creatures. 
He  says :  "  The  rising  of  the  sun  was  announced  by  the 
distant  noise  of  the  howling  monkeys.  Approaching  a 
group  of  trees  which  rise  in  the  midst  of  the  plain,  we 
saw  numerous  bands  of  the  howlers,  moving  as  if  in  pro- 
cession, and  very  slowly,  from  one  tree  to  another.  A 
male  was  followed  by  a  great  number  of  females,  several 
of  the  latter  carrying  their  young  on  their  shoulders.  The 
howling  monkeys  live  in  societies,  and  everywhere  resem- 
ble each  other,  though  the  species  are  not  always  the  same. 
The  uniformity  with  which  they  perform  their  move- 
ments is  extremely  striking.  Whenever  the  branches  of 
the  trees  do  not  touch  each  other,  the  male  who  leads  the 
party  suspends  himself  by  his  prehensile  tail,  and,  letting 
fall  the  rest  of  his  body,  swings  himself  till,  in  one  of  his 
oscillations,  he  reaches  the  neighboring  branch.  The 


HOWLERS  AND    WEEPERS, 


237 


whole  troop  then  perform  similar  movements  on  the  same 
spot." 

7.  The   spider-monkey  consists   principally  of  limbs 


Spider- Mo  n  keys. 


and  tail,  the  body  being  comparatively  small.     It  is  the 
most  active  of  all  the  monkey  tribes,  and  with  its  long 


238       NEIGHBORS   WITH  CLA  WS  AND  HOOFS. 

arms  and  clinging  tail  it  can  carry  its  light  body  through 
the  tree-tops  with  surprising  rapidity.  They  are  gentle 
and  timid,  and,  when  not  frightened,  they  are  slow  and 
deliberate  in  their  movements.  They  sometimes  are  made 
household  pets  in  their  native  regions,  but,  for  two  rea- 
sons, they  never  can  be  tolerated  like  the  cat  and  dog ; 
and  these  are,  their  propensity  for  destructive  mischief 
and  their  unpleasant  and  unseemly  habits. 

8.  Paez  gives  this  description  of  them  :  "  These  monk- 
eys are  very  destructive  of  cocoa  -  plantations  and  corn- 
fields.   When  about  to  commence  their  depredations,  they 
usually  assemble  in  great  numbers  and  exercise  many  pre- 
cautions.   The  first  step  is  to  station  several  of  their  num- 
ber as  sentinels  upon  the  highest  trees  overlooking  the 
avenues  leading  to  the  plantation,  to  give  warning  of  ap- 
proaching danger.     The  next  proceeding  is  that  of  placing 
the  females  and  young,  who  can  not  take  part  in  the  foray, 
in  some  safe  retreat.     They  then  invest  the  corn-field  in 
earnest,  pulling  down  the  stalks  and  tearing  off  the  ears 
of  corn  with   astonishing  rapidity,  chattering,  laughing, 
and  yelling  all  the  while,  like  a  set  of  mischievous  school- 
boys in  the  absence  of  the  master. 

9.  "  When  they  have  obtained  a  sufficient  number  of 
ears,  they  split  the  husks,  and  tie  them  in  pairs  by  means 
of  a  peculiar  knot  which  in  consequence  is  called  a  '  monk- 
ey-tie.'    They  then  throw   the   ears   across  their   backs, 
and  hasten  to  hide  their  booty  in  some  safe  place  in  the 
depths  of  the  forest.     It  often  happens  that  they  are  sur- 
prised by  the  owner  of  the  corn-field,  who  suddenly  ap- 
pears and  pours  a  shower  of  shot  into  their  midst.     Then, 
with  shrill  cries  of  alarm,  the  whole  troop  scamper  off 
helter-skelter,  tumbling,  pitching,  or  hobbling  on  all-fours, 
but  never  dropping  a  particle  of  their  plunder.    It  is  gen- 
erally believed  in  the  llanos  that,  after  such  a  surprise, 


HOWLERS  AND    WEEPERS.  239 

the  careless  sentinels  are  tried  by  a  council  of  elders,  and,  if 
found  guilty,  they  are  tied  to  a  tree  and  soundly  whipped. 

10.  "  No  less  remarkable  is  their  method  of  crossing 
streams  which  they  encounter  in  the  forest.     The  strong- 
est of  the  party  climbs  to  the  spreading  branches  of  some 
tree  projecting  over  the  stream.     He  then  twists  his  tail 
firmly  around  a  branch,  and,  letting  his  body  hang  be- 
low, seizes  upon  the  tail  of  the  next,  and  so  on  until  a 
long  chain  is  formed.     By  pushing,  as  in  a  swing,  the 
living  pendulum  sweeps  across  the  stream,  the  last  monk- 
ey seizing  a  branch  on  the  other   side.     On  this  bridge 
the  whole  troop  passes,  and  the  members  which  formed 
the  bridge  are  helped  over  or  pulled  through  by  their 
companions.     Sometimes   one  or  more  lose   their  lives, 
which  has  given  rise  to  a  proverb,  '  It  is  the  last  monkey 
that  is  drowned.' 

11.  "  Sagacious  as  these  animals  are,  it  is  easy  to  en- 
trap them.     One  of  the  simplest  ways  is  to  cut  a  number 
of  holes  in  a  gourd,  barely  large  enough  to  admit  the 
monkey's  hand.     The  gourd  is  then  filled  with  corn  and 
fastened  to  the  trunk  of  a  tree.     Shaking  the  gourd  is  a 
dinner-bell  for  the  monkeys,  who  no  sooner  hear  the  sound 
than  they  descend  in  great  numbers  to  secure  the  prize. 
Each  in  turn  thrusts  his  hand  into  the  gourd  and  grasps 
a  handful  of  corn.     But  in  vain  do  they  struggle  to  with- 
draw their  hands  without  giving  up  the  prize  ;  and  at  this 
moment  the  trapper  makes   his   appearance,  and,  tying 
their  hands,  carries  them  off  to  his  cottage  in  the  woods." 

12.  Another  naturalist   gives   this  account  of   a  pet 
spider-monkey  which  accompanied  him  on  his  journey : 
"  Jerry  was  a  favorite  with  all,  and  in  all  respects  fared 
like  ourselves.     Its  favorite  food  was  farina,  boiled  rice, 
and  bananas.     A  raw  egg  was  a  choice  morsel,  and,  on 
being  given  to  it,  it  broke  one  end  by  gently  knocking  it 


240       NEIGHBORS    WITH  CLAWS  AND  HOOFS. 


on  the  floor,  and  completed  the  hole  by  picking  off  the 
broken  bits  of  shell.  It  then  threw  back  its  head,  raised 
the  egg  by  its  two  hands,  and  sucked  out  its  contents. 
On  our  journey,  Jerry  always  rode  on  the  back  of  a  large 
mastiff  dog,  and  in  this  manner  traveled  several  thousand 
miles.  The  two  animals  were  much  attached  to  each 
other,  and  it  was  an  amusing  sight  to  see  them  gamboling 
together.  Before  starting,  the  dog  would  go  every  morn- 
ing to  where  the  monkey  was  tied,  and  wait  till  it  was 
put  upon  his  back,  and  its  cord  made  fast  to  his  collar.  Tu 
traveling,  it  was  not  particular  as  to  whether  its  face  was 
toward  the  head  or  tail  of  its  charger,  except  in  going 
down-hill,  when  its  face  was  turned  forward,  and,  to  pre- 
vent itself  from  slipping  over  the  dog's  head,  it  made  use 
of  his  prehensile  tail,  curling  it  around  the  dog's  tail  like 
a  crupper." 

13.  The  weepers  are  smaller  and  more  hairy  than  the 
monkeys  already  described.  They  have  long  tails,  pre- 
hensile only  at 
the  extremity,  so 
that  they  use  this 
limb  more  as  a 
staff  than  as  a 
hand.  They  are 
named  from  a 
plaintive  cry 
which  resembles 
the  weeping  voice 
of  children.  They 
are  timid,  living 
on  the  tree-tops 
of  retired  forests. 
Their  food  is 
seeds,  grain,  insects,  and  the  eggs  of  birds.  They  are 


The  Marmoset. 


LONG-TAILED  DWELLERS  OF  THE  TREE-TOPS.  241 

gentle  and  easily  tamed.     There  are  at  least  fourteen  dis- 
tinct species  belonging  to  this  family. 

14.  The  marmoset  is  "but  little  larger  than  a  squirrel, 
and  has  a  head  very  much  like  a  fox.  It  is  covered  with 
long,  silken  hair,  and  has  a  bushy  tail  of  moderate  length. 
This  tail  is  not  prehensile.  Its  food  is  insects  and  fruits. 
Humboldt's  tame  marmoset  used  to  sit  by  him  and  inspect 
his  drawings.  Pictures  of  spiders  and  flies  he  tried  to 
catch  in  his  paws,  but  he  turned  from  the  picture  of  a 
wasp  in  great  terror. 


CHAPTER  XL. 

LONG-TAILED    DWELLERS   OF   THE   TREE-TOPS. 

1.  AMONG  the  monkeys  of  the  Old  World  there  are 
some  that  have  long  tails  and  melancholy,  solemn-looking 
countenances.     Their  tails  are  of  no  special  use  to  them  in 
holding  or  catching  the  branches  of  trees.     When  young 
they  are  easily  tamed  ;  but  after  they  have  grown  old  they 
are  cross  and  often  vicious.    A  curious  species  is  the  probos- 
cis-monkey, remarkable  on  account  of  its  long  nose,  which 
in  the  male  turns  down  and  in  the  female  turns  up.    This 
nose  gives  them  a  ludicrous  expression.     They  are  found 
in  great  numbers  in  the  forests  of  Borneo,  and  the  natives 
believe  them  to  be  men  who  have  run  to  the  woods  to 
avoid  paying  tribute. 

2.  The  bonnet-monkey  is  frequently  brought  to  Eu- 
rope for  exhibition.     It  is  about  the  size  of  a  large  cat,  of 
greenish  color,  with  a  long  tail.     In  Bengal  it  does  great 
injury  to  fields  and  gardens.     The  natives  forbid  any  one 
to  kill  it.     When  young  the  bonnet-monkey  is  amusing  in 
confinement,  performing  all  sorts  of  antics  with  a  look  of 


242       NEIGHBORS   WITH  CLA  WS  AND  HOOFS. 

solemn  gravity.     When  two  or  three  are  kept  together, 
they  are  constantly  hugging  and  fondling  each  other.;  and, 


Proboscis- Monkeys. 

when  a  monkey  of  this  kind  has  no  companion  of  its  own 
species,  it  will  pet  a  kitten  and  almost  choke  it  with  its 
fond  attention. 

3.  The  common  baboon  is  an  inhabitant  of  the  hottest 
part  of  Africa,  and  grows  to  three  and  even  four  feet 
high.  He  is  more  ferocious  than  others  of  the  monkey 
tribe,  and  is  not  so  often  tamed.  His  general  color  is 


LONG-TAILED  DWELLERS  OF  THE  TREE-TOPS.  243 

grayish-brown.  The  face  is  of  a  tawny  flesh-color,  with  a 
tuft  of  hair  on  each  side  and  surmounted  by  a  large  bunch, 
giving  the  animal  a  ludicrous  appearance.  Baboons 
abound  in  Siam,  where  they  frequently  sally  forth  in  mul- 
titudes to  attack  the 
villages  when  the 
peasants  are  busy 
in  the  rice-harvest, 
and  plunder  their 
habitations  of  what- 
ever provisions  they 
can  lay  their  paws 
on.  Fruit,  corn,  and 
roots  are  their  usual 
food,  though  they 
will  also  eat  flesh. 

4.  "The  army  of 
Alexanderthe  Great 
marched     in    com- 
plete   battle    array  '  The  itoboon. 
into   a   country  in- 
habited by  great  numbers  of  baboons  and  encamped  there 
for  the  night.     The  next  morning,  when  the  army  was 
about  to  proceed  on  its  march,  the  soldiers  saw  at  some 
distance  an  enormous  number  of  baboons  drawn  up  in 
rank  and  flle  like  a  small  army  with  such  regularity,  that 
the   Macedonians,  who  could  have  no  idea  of  such  a  ma- 
noeuvre, imagined  at  first  that  it  was  the  enemy  drawn  up 
to  receive  them.'- 

5.  The  hoonuman,  or  entellus  monkey,  is  venerated 
by  the  Hindoos,  who  believe  that  if  any  person  kills  one 
he  will  die  within  a  year.     This  monkey  is  about  three 
feet  high,  has  a  yellowish  body,  and  black  face  and  hands. 
The  hair  above  the  eyebrows  forms  an  odd  projection, 


244       NEIGHBORS   WITH  CLAWS  AND  HOOFS. 

and  there  is  a  tuft  of  beard  on  the  chin.  "  These  monk- 
eys, being  protected  from  injury  by  the  superstition  of 
the  Hindoos,  become  a  perfect  nuisance  to  those  who 


The  Entellus. 

have  no  veneration  for  them.  They  take  their  abode  in 
groves  or  trees  which  are  planted  about  villages,  and 
sometimes  are  so  numerous  as  to  outnumber  the  human 
inhabitants  of  the  place. 

6.  "Sir  J.  Forbes  says  that  at  Dhuboy  the  roofs  of 
the  houses  seemed  entirely  appropriated  to  the  monkeys, 
and  gives  a  humorous  account  of  having  been  obliged  to 
take  shelter  in  a  veranda  because  these  animals  pelted 
him  with  tiles  and  mortar  from  an  opposite  house.  They 
are  mischievous  and  destructive,  and  will  strip  a  corn-field 
of  moderate  size  in  a  few  hours.  They  frequently,  how- 
ever, destroy  poisonous  snakes.  They  seize  them  by  the 
neck  when  asleep,  and,  running  to  the  nearest  stone,  grind 
the  head  by  a  strong  friction  on  the  surface,  frequently 


LONG-TAILED  DWELLERS   OF  THE  TREE-TOPS.  245 

looking  at  it  and  grinning.  When  convinced  that  the  ven- 
omous fangs  are  destroyed,  they  toss  the  reptile  to  their 
young  ones  to  play  with,  and  seem  to  rejoice  in  the  de- 
struction of  their  common  enemy." 

7.  The  gibbons,  or  long-armed  apes,  are  natives  of 
Southern  Asia  and  the  adjacent  islands.      Mr.  Wallace 
says :  "  They  are  generally  of  small  size  and  of  a  gentle 
disposition,  but  possessing  the  most  wonderful  agility. 
In  these  creatures  the  arms  are  as  long  as  the  body  and 
legs  together,  and  are  so  powerful  that  a  gibbon  will  hang 
for  hours  suspended  from  a  branch,  or  will  swing  to-and- 
fro,  and  then  throw  itself  a  great  distance  through  the  air. 
The  arms,  in  fact,  completely  take  the  place  of  legs  in 
traveling. 

8.  "Instead  of  jumping  from  bough  to  bough,  and 
running  on  the  branches,  like  other  apes  and  monkeys,  the 
gibbons  move  along  while  suspended  in  the  air,  stretching 
their  arms  from  bough  to  bough,  and  thus  going  hand 
over  hand,  as  a  very  active  sailor  will  climb  along  a  rope. 
The  strength  of  the  arms  is,  however,  so  prodigious,  and 
their  hold  so  sure,  that  they  often  loose  one  hand  before 
they  have  caught  a  bough  with  the  other,  thus  seeming 
almost  to  fly  through  the  air  by  a  series  of  swinging  leaps  ; 
and  they  travel  among  the  net-work  of  interlacing  boughs, 
a  hundred  feet  above  the  earth,  with  as  much  ease  and 
certainty  as  we  walk  or  run  upon  level  ground,  and  with 
even  greater  speed. 

9.  "  These  little  animals  scarcely  ever  come  down  to 
the  ground  of  their  own  accord ;  but,  when  obliged  to  do 
so,  they  run  along  almost  erect,  with  their  long  arms 
swinging  round  and  round,  as  if  trying  to  find  some  tree 
or  other  object  to  climb  upon.     They  are  the  only  apes 
who  naturally  walk  without  using  their  hands  as  well  as 
their  feet ;  but  this  does  not  make  them  move  like  men, 


24:6       NEIGHBORS    WITH  CLA  WS  AND  HOOFS. 

for  it  is  evident  that  the  attitude  is  not  an  easy  one,  and 
it  is  only  adopted  because  the  arms  are  habitually  used  to 
swing  by,  and  are,  therefore,  naturally  held  upward  in- 
stead of  downward,  as  they  must  be  when  walking  on 
them." 


CHAPTER   XLI. 

TAILLESS   TREE-CLIMBERS   OF   THE   WILDS. 

1.  OF  the  gorilla,  Du  Chaillu  says :  "  My  long  resi- 
dence in  Africa  gave  me  superior  facilities  for  intercourse 
with  the  natives,  and.,  as  my  curiosity  was  greatly  excited 


The  Gorilla  at  Home. 


TAILLESS  TREE-CLIMBERS  OF  THE   WILDS.   247 

by  the  reports  of  this  unknown  monster,  I  was  deter- 
mined to  penetrate  to  its  haunts  and  see  with  my  own 
eyes.  It  has  been  my  fortune  to  be  the  first  white  man 
who  can  speak  of  the  gorilla  from  personal  knowledge ; 
and  while  my  experience  and  observation  prove  that  many 
of  the  actions  reported  of  it  are  false,  I  can  also  vouch 
that  no  description  can  exceed  the  horror  of  its  appear- 
ance, the  ferocity  of  its  attack,  or  the  impish  malignity  of 
its  nature.  It  lives  in  the  loneliest  and  darkest  portions 
of  the  dense  African  jungle,  preferring  deep-wooded  val- 
leys and  also  rugged  heights. 

2.  "  It  is  a  restless  and  nomadic  beast,  wandering  from 
place  to  place,  and  scarce  ever  found  for  two  days  to- 
gether in  the  same  neighborhood.     In  part  this  restless- 
ness is  caused  by  the  struggle  it  has  to  find  its  favorite 
food,  which  consists  of  berries,  pineapples,  and  other  vege- 
table matter.     The  gorilla,  though  it  has  immense  canine 
teeth  and  though  its  vast  strength  fits  it  to  capture  and 
kill  almost  every  animal  which  frequents  the  forest,  is  a 
strict  vegetarian.     The  common  walk  of  this  animal  is 
not  on  its  hind-legs,  but  on  all-fours.     In  this  posture  the 
arms  are  so  long  that  the  head  and  breast  are  raised  con- 
siderably, and  as  it  runs  the  hind-legs  are  brought  far  be- 
neath the  body.     The  leg  and  arm  on  the  same  side  move 
together,  which  gives  the  beast  a  curious  waddle.     It  can 
run  at  great  speed.     It  is  a  pretty  sight  to  see  a  mother 
with  the  baby  gorilla  sporting  with  it.    I  have  watched 
them  in  the  wood  till  I  had  not  the  heart  to  shoot.    "When 
the  mother  runs  away  from  the  hunter,  the  young  one 
grasps  her  about  the  neck  and  hangs  beneath  her  breasts 
with  its  legs  about  her  body. 

3.  "  In  all  my  hunts  and  encounters  with  this  animal 
I  never  knew  a  grown  male  to  run  off.     Sitting  for  a  mo- 
ment with  a  savage  frown  on  his  face,  he  slowly  rises  to  his 


248       NEIGHBORS    WITH  CLA  WS  AND  HOOFS. 


feet,  and,  looking  with  glowing  and  malign  eyes  at  the  in- 
truder, begins  to  beat  his  breast,  and  lifting  up  his  round 
head  utters  his  frightful  roar.  I  have  reason  to  believe 
that  I  have  heard  this  roar  at  a  distance  of  three  miles. 
In  shooting  the  hippopotamus  at  night,  the  negro  always 
scampers  off  as  soon  as  he  has  fired  his  gun.  When  he 
has  fired  at  the  gorilla,  he  stands  still.  I  asked  why  they 
did  not  run  in  this  case  too,  and  was  answered  that  it 
would  be  of  no  use.  To  run  was  fatal.  One  blow  of 
that  huge  paw  with  its  bony  claws,  and  the  hunter  is  fin- 
ished." 

4.  The  orang-outang  is  a  native  of  Sumatra  and  Bor- 
neo. The  adult  measures  about  six  and  a  half  feet  in 
height.  His  head  is  covered  with  a  coat  of  thick,  coarse, 
blackish  hair.  He  has  a  naked  face,  a  tufted  mustache 
on  the  upper  lip,  and  a  long,  reddish  beard.  The  orangs 

have  little  fear 
of  man,  but,  if 
pursued,  will 
climb  the  high- 
est trees  and 
throw  down 
upon  their  pur- 
suers a  shower 
of  sticks. 

5.  The  orang 
inhabits  the 
wild  forests  of 
uncultivated 
districts,  where 
he  is  known  to 
the  natives  by 
the  name  of  miaft.  Mr.  Wallace  says :  "  It  is  a  singular 
and  most  interesting  sight  to  watch  a  mias  making  his  way 


Young  Orang-  Outang. 


TAILLESS  TREE-CLIMBERS  OF  THE    WILDS.  249 


leisurely  through  the  forest.  He  walks  deliberately  along 
the  branches,  in  the  semi-erect  attitude  which  the  great 
length  of  his  arms 
and  the  shortness  of 
his  legs  give  him. 
Choosing  a  place 
where  the  boughs  of 
an  adjacent  tree  inter- 
mingle, he  seizes  the 
smaller  twigs,  pulls 
them  toward  him, 
grasps  them,  together 
with  those  of  the  tree 
he  is  on,  and  thus 
forming  a  kind  of 
bridge  swings  himself 
onward,  and,  seizing 
hold  of  a  thick  branch 
with  his  long  arms,  is  in  an  instant  walking  along  the  op- 
posite side  of  the  tree.  He  never  jumps  or  springs,  or 
even  appears  to  hurry  himself,  and  yet  moves  as  quickly 
as  a  man  can  run  along  the  ground  beneath. 

6.  "  The  enemies  of  the  orang  are  few  in  number. 
The  Dyaks  are  unanimous  in  their  statements  that  the 
mias  never  either  attacks  or  is  attacked  by  any  animal, 
with  one  exception,  which  is  highly  curious,  and  would 
be  hardly  credible  were  it  not  confirmed  by  the  testimony 
of  several  independent  parties  who  have  been  eye-witnesses 
of  the  circumstance.  The  only  animal  the  mias  measures 
his  strength  with  is  the  crocodile.  The  account  of  the 
natives  is  as  follows :  '  When  there  is  little  fruit  in  the 
jungle,  the  mias  goes  to  the  river-side  to  eat  the  fruits 
that  grow  there,  and  also  the  young  shoots  of  some  palm- 
trees  which  are  found  on  the  water's  edge.  The  crocodile 


JBornean  Orang. 


250       NEIGHBORS    WITH  OLA  WS  AND  HOOFS. 


then  sometimes  tries  to  seize  him ;  but  he  gets  on  to  the 
reptile's  back,  beats  it  with  his  hands  and  feet  on  the  head 
and  neck,  and  pulls  open  its  jaws  till 
he  rips  up  the  throat.  The  mias 
always  kills  the  crocodile,  for  he  is 
very  strong ;  there  is  no  animal  in 
the  jungle  so  strong  as  he.' ': 

7.  The  chimpanzee  has  been  re- 
garded as  nearest  like  man  of  any 
of  the  foot-handed  animals ;  but  be- 
tween the  two  there  are  some  points 
of  remarkable  difference  in  struct- 
ure. The  length  of  the  arms  in  the 
chimpanzee  is  such  that,  with  his 
legs  slightly 
bent,  his  fin- 
gers touch 
the  ground. 
The  hands 
are  awk- 
ward as 

hands,  and  the  feet  are  not  adapted 
for  easy  standing  or  walking.  This 
animal  is  at  home  on  the  western 
coasts  of  Africa.  It  is  readily 
tamed,  and  has  attracted  attention 
by  its  simple  and  refined  manners. 
8.  The  chimpanzee,  in  intelli- 
gence and  kindliness  of  disposi- 
tion, ranks  higher  than  any  other 
of  the  foot-handed  tenants  of  the 
trees.  In  its  native  wilds  it  builds 
a  kind  of  leafy  nest  among  the 
boughs  of  the  loftiest  trees.  This  nest  is  made  up  of  small 


Hand  of  Chimpanzee. 


Foot  of  Chimpanzee. 


TAILLESS  TREE-CLIMBERS   OF  THE    WILDS.    251 

interlaced  branches,  well  thatched  with  leaves,  and  im- 
penetrable to  water ;  fixed  by  firmly-tied  bands,  it  is  gen- 
erally from  six  to  eight  feet  in  diameter,  and  presents  the 
form  of  a  dome,  an  arrangement  which  readily  throws  off 
the  rain.  The  male  and  the  female  share  in  the  building 
of  the  hut ;  but  the  female  and  her  young  alone  occupy 
it,  the  male  remaining  outside.  The  nests,  in  shape  and 
manner  of  structure,  are  very  much  like  those  of  the  sav- 
ages who  inhabit  the  same  region. 

9.  Dr.   Brehm,  the  German   naturalist,  says :  "  It  is 
really  impossible  to  treat  the  chimpanzee  like  an  animal ; 
his  character  and  general  behavior  show  so  much  of  hu- 
manity that  men  are  induced  to  commune  with  him  in  the 
same  way  as  with  their  equals.     In  captivity  he  is  per- 
fectly conscious  of  his  position,  and  subordinates  himself 
willingly  to  the  superior  mental  gifts  and  capacities  of 
mankind,  but  holds  himself  better  and  higher  than  other 
animals,  especially  than  other  monkeys.    Paying,  in  every 
instance,  high  regard  to  men,  he  likes  children  if  they  do 
not  tease  and  molest  him.     Sportive  and  humorous,  he 
indulges  in  joking  with  men  and  animals. 

10.  "  He  is  not  only  inquisitive,  but  eager  to  acquire 
knowledge,  examines  carefully  things  strange  to  him,  and 
falls  into  ecstasy  when  he  has  found  out  their  purpose  and 
learned  to  use  them  in  the  right  way.     While  able  to  un- 
derstand men  and  things,  he  is  nevertheless  modest  and 
kindly,  seldom  willful,  and  never  stubborn,  although  he 
claims  what  is  in  right  due  to  him.     Of  variable  temper, 
he  is  now  good-humored  and  jolly,  now  sad  and  morose, 
and  gives  vent  to  his  feelings  as  men  do,  but  sometimes 
in  a  more  passionate  way. 

11.  "I  was  once  the  owner  of  a  highly-educated  chim- 
panzee.    He  knew  all  the  friends  of  the  house,  all  our 
acquaintances,  and  distinguished  them  readily  from  stran- 


252       NEIGHBORS    WITH   CLAWS  AND  HOOFS. 

gers.  Every  one  treating  him  kindly  he  looked  upon  as  a 
personal  friend.  He  never  felt  more  comfortable  than 
when  he  was  admitted  to  the  family  circle,  and  allowed  to 
move  freely  around,  and  open  and  shut  doors,  while  his 
joy  was  boundless  when  he  was  assigned  a  place  at  the 
common  table,  and  the  guests  admired  his  natural  wit  and 
practical  jokes.  He  expressed  his  satisfaction  and  thanks 
to  them  by  drumming  furiously  on  the  table. 

12.  "  In  his  numerous  moments  of  leisure  his  favorite 
occupation  consisted  in  investigating  carefully  every  object 
in  his  reach ;  he  lowered  the  door  of  the  stove  for  the 
purpose  of  watching  the  fire,  opened  drawers,  rummaged 
boxes  and  trunks,  and  played  with  their  contents,  provided 
the  latter  did  not  look  suspicious  to  him.    How  easily  sus- 
picion was  aroused  in  him  might  be  illustrated  by  the  fact 
that,  as  long  as  he  lived,  he  shrank  with  terror  from  every 
rubber  ball.     Obedience  to  my  orders,  and  attachment  to 
my  person,  and  to  everybody  caring  for  him,  were  among 
his  cardinal  virtues,  and  he  bored  me  with  his  persist- 
ent wishes  to  accompany  me. 

13.  "  He  knew  perfectly  his  time  for  retiring,  and  was 
happy  when  some  one  of  us  carried  him  to  the  bedroom 
like  a  baby.     As  soon  as  the  light  was  put  out,  he  would 
jump  into   the  bed  and  cover  himself,  because  he  was 
afraid  of  the  darkness.     His  favorite  meal  was  supper, 
with  tea,  which  he  was  very  fond  of,  provided  it  was 
largely  sweetened  and  mixed  with  rum.     He  sipped  it 
from  the  cup,  and  ate  the  dipped  bread -slices  with  a 
spoon,  having  been  taught  not  to  use  his  fingers  in  eat- 
ing; he  poured  his  wine  from  the  bottle,  and  drank  it 
from  the  glass.     A  man  could  hardly  behave  better  at 
table  than  did  that  monkey. 

14.  "  He  was  especially  engaging  in  his  association 
with  my  children,  always  gentle,  obliging,  and  tender,  and 


TAILLESS  TREE-CLIMBERS   OF  THE    WILDS.    253 

they  liked  him  as  a  good  fellow  and  pretty  playmate. 
When  he  was  first  introduced  to  my  little  girl,  who  was 
then  six  months  old,  he  seemed  perplexed,  and  observed 
her  with  astonishment,  as  if  speculating  whether  that  lit- 
tle bit  of  a  creature  was  really  a  human  being.  At  last 
his  mind  was  made  up ;  he  touched  her  cheek  with  one 
finger,  and  then  offered  her  his  hand  in  friendship.  My 
chimpanzee  conversed  very  little  with  other  animals ; 
like  the  apes  in  general,  he  was  afraid  of  the  big  ones,  and 
despised  the  smaller  ones.  He  was  always  around  us, 
and  we,  on  our  side,  did  not  make  any  difference  between 
him  and  a  man. 

15.  "  The  animal  fell  ill  of  the  mumps,  followed  by 
pneumonia.      I   had  seen   many  sick   chimpanzees,  but 
never  one  of  them  behaved  as  he  did.     I  engaged  two 
competent  physicians  to  take  charge  of  him.     He  knew 
them  from  the  first  day,  allowed  them  to  feel  his  pulse, 
showed  his  tongue,  and  directed  the  hand  of  the  attend- 
ant doctor  to  the  painful  swelling,  which  had  to  be  cut 
open  afterward,  there  being  danger  of  suffocation. 

16.  "The  doctors  would  not  use  chloroform,  out  of 
regard  to  the  affection  of  the  lungs;   but,  fearing  the 
chimpanzee  would  not  keep  quiet  during  the  operation, 
engaged  four  strong  men  to  hold  him.     The  sick  animal 
did  not  submit  to  that  rough  treatment,  but  excitedly 
pushed  the  men  aside,  and  then,  without  any  compulsion 
whatever,  but  in  compliance  with  the  fondling  words  of 
his  nurse,  in  whose  lap  he  was  sitting,  offered  his  throat. 
The  operation  was  performed,  the  ape  never  flinching  or 
complaining.     He  felt  afterward  much  relieved,  and  ex- 
pressed his  gratitude  by  pressing  fervently  the  hands  of 
the  physicians  and  kissing  his  nurse." 


254       NEIGHBORS   WITH  CLAWS  AND  HOOFS. 


REMUS    CROWLEY    AND    HIS    HABITS. 

1.  During  the  winter  most  of  the  animals  of  the  Cen- 
tral Park  menagerie  are  carefully  housed  ;  only  a  few 
which  are  accustomed  to  cold  winters  remain  where  they 
are  seen  in  the  summer.  The  chimpanzee,  Remus  Crow- 
ley,  Esq.,  occupies  a  cage  in  the  office  of  Superintendent 
Conklin.  A  temperature  between  sixty  and  seventy  de- 
grees is  maintained  at  all  times,  and  the  animal  is  as  care- 
fully protected  from  all  draughts  as  an  invalid  person. 
In  his  native  climate  of  Liberia  cold  draughts  are  un- 
known, and  when  exposed  to  them  Mr.  Crowley  pays  the 
penalty  with  a  sore  throat  or  a  cold  in  the  head.  At  night 
a  heavy  blanket  is  placed  in  his  cage,  and  when  the 
weather  is  extremely  cold  he  wraps  himself  up  in  it,  but 

at  other  times  uses  it  as  a  mat- 
tress. * £  Jake,' '  a  robust  park 
official,  attends  to  him  regu- 
larly, and  the  strongest  attach- 
ment exists  between  them. 

2.  In  personal  appearance, 
Mr.  Crowley  has  nothing  del- 
icate about  him.  He  came  to 
the  Central  Park  last  June,  and 
has  now  entered  on  his  third 

The  Chimpanzee.  .  .  ,,  , 

year,    growing    rapidly    and 

gaining  over  a  pound  a  month ;  if  he  lives  several  years 
longer,  he  will  probably  attain  a  height  of  five  feet.  At 
present  he  is  a  trifle  over  two  feet  high,  and  weighs 
twenty-six  pounds.  His  hair  is  parted  in  the  middle, 
and  banged  on  his  forehead ;  his  body  is  covered  heavily 
with  hair  and  has  no  tail.  When  he  stands  upright,  Mr. 
Crowley  presents  fully  as  civilized  an  appearance  as  the 
man  in  a  heavy  fur  coat  who  crowds  himself  in  a  narrow 


TAILLESS  TREE-CLIMBERS  OF  THE    WILDS.  255 

place  in  the  street-car.  His  hands  are  shriveled  and 
brown,  but  his  nails  are  delicately  tinted  and  well-shaped, 
though  evidently  not  looked  after  by  a  manicure,  and  his 
feet  have  characteristics  resembling  those  in  human  feet, 
except  that  they  are  more  flexible,  and  he  uses  them  as 
readily  as  he  does  his  hands. 

3.  "  Jake,"  said  Mr.  Conklin,  "  we  will  have  lunch  if 
it  is  Mr.  Crowley's  time."     "  Jake  "  placed  some  bananas 
on  a  low  table,  and  then  a  plate,  cup  and  saucer,  and  knife 
and  fork.     After  setting  out  an   infant's  chair  with  a 
cushion  in  it,  he  led  by  the  hand  the  chimpanzee,  who 
had  been  watching  him  with  apparent  satisfaction.     Mr. 
Crowley  sprang  quickly  into  the  chair  and  waited  patiently 
while  "  Jake  "  pushed  him  up  to  the  table  and  placed  a 
pink  shawl  on  his  shoulders.     "  Will  you  have  a  banana, 
old  boy  ? "  asked  "  Jake."     Mr.  Crowley  passed  over  his 
plate  and  received  one  that  had  been  peeled  for  him.     He 
picked  up  his  knife  and  fork  carefully  and  cut  a  large 
piece  from  the  fruit  and  transferred  it  on  the  fork  to  his 
mouth.      "Too    much,"    said   "Jake,"    disapprovingly; 
"  don't  be  greedy,  Crowley." 

4.  Mr.  Crowley  cut  the  slices  of  the  fruit  into  smaller 
pieces  and  ate  them  deliberately.      When  "Jake"  pro- 
posed a  glass  of  milk,  he  nodded  his  head  with  a  pleased 
grin,  sipped  the  milk  with  a  tea-spoon,  and  then,  lifting 
the  cup  to  his  mouth,  drank  a  portion  of  it.     His  napkin 
is  embroidered  with  the  name  "Remus  Crowley,"  and, 
after  drinking,  the  chimpanzee  wiped  his  broad  mouth 
and  chin  with  it  fastidiously.      But  having  finished  his 
meal,  he  held  out  his  plate  for  more,  and,  when  refused, 
protruded  his  lower  lip  and  cried  disconsolately.     Then 
he  shook  hands  with  the  visitors,  examined  their  finger- 
rings  and  pockets  curiously,  and,  when  returned  to  his 
cage  with  reluctance,  made  faces  at  all  present,  and  occa- 


256       NEIGHBORS   WITH  CLAWS  AND  HOOFS. 

sionally  threw  a  handful  of  sawdust  at  them  and  danced 
boisterously. 

5.  "He  is  good-natured  and  as  playful  as  a  child," 
said  Mr.  Conklin,  "  not  malicious,  but  full  of  mischief, 
and  understands  everything  that  goes  on  around  him.  In 
fact,  he  often  reminds  me  of  a  deaf  and  dumb  child  or  an 
idiot."  "  Does  he  make  any  sound  indicating  speech  ?  " 
"  No ;  he  utters  peculiar  cries  and  moves  his  lips  at  times 
as  a  person  would  in  talking.  He  shows  clearly  the  differ- 
ent emotions  of  anger,  pain,  and  grief,  sulks  when  offended 
and  laughs  when  pleased.  My  belief  in  evolution  has  in- 
creased since  I  have  had  him  under  my  care.  I  have  seen 
many  human  beings  less  intelligent,  and  I  believe  that 
with  careful  selection  for  breeding  there  is  strong  possi- 
bility that  the  race  might  be  developed  and  taught  to 
speak.  It  certainly  would  be  an  interesting  experiment, 
and  would  probably  require  several  generations." 

New  York  Tribune,.  1884. 


THE   END. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 


Read  Nature;  Nature  is  a  friend  to  truth, 


)• 


Aff/etons"   Instructive  Reading- Books. 


